NYC Gives A Local Legend His Flowers

Source: Dominik Bindl / Getty

There’s a lot that can be said at any given moment about the greatness of Hollywood icon Robert De Niro; those who know him well enough simply use the nickname Bob.

You can talk about his rave performance in the recent comedy-drama film, Ezra, which saw a worldwide release this past May. You might even be inclined to dive into his personal life with mid-40s girlfriend Tiffany Chen, who he miraculously shares a one-year-old daughter with at the ripe young age of 80. If you’ve been keeping up with your politics, you might’ve even saw him get a bit gully on The View not too long ago after they had to censor him more than a few times during the live broadcast while speaking on the sordid topic of Donald Trump — we feel you, Bob! We feel you.

For us, that moment of realizing his greatness happened a few weeks back at the inaugural presentation of De Niro Con in New York City, which spanned for two additional days following the wrap-up of this year’s Tribeca Festival in celebration of the man who founded it all.

In addition to genuine moments of reflection and a pretty dope graphic tee merch drop, one stood out that occurred on Father’s Day between De Niro and fellow New York-bred Hollywood icon Spike Lee as they both reflected in real-time over losing their dads.

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Screenings of fan-favorite De Niro flicks, including Jackie Brown (1997), The Godfather Part II (1974), Silver Linings Playbook (2012), Analyze This (1999), Mean Streets (1973), New York, New York (1977), Raging Bull (1980), The Good Shepherd (2006), Goodfellas (1990), The Deer Hunter (1978), Meet The Parents (2000) and Taxi Driver (1976), each came with entertaining surprises afterwards. The screening of Mean Streets for example was accompanied by a conversation with director Martin Scorsese and moderated by Queens-bred rap icon Nas.

Panels and fan interactive events were present as well, from the “De Niro Hero: Sandwich Tasting & Competition” on the roof of Spring Studios — congrats again, Pisillo Italian Panini! — to the Storytellers conversation that De Niro himself sat for alongside French filmmaker JR. The two have collaborated on an upcoming documentary in tribute to his later father, Robert De Niro Sr., in addition to his lineage overall. 

In short, it was a reminder to always give flowers to those who deserve them while they’re still here to receive them. We salute you, Bob — until next year!

Take a look at a few standout moments below from a weekend of celebrating Robert De Niro at the inaugural 2024 De Niro Con: