The movie was filmed entirely on location in New York, which is almost a third main character. At one point I caught of glimpse of a Barnes and Noble bookstore, which was neat to see. And in the subway there's a billboard for a radio station with Kenny Rogers' picture on it (he was a big deal in that period of time).
It took some getting used to the actor who plays the orphan. As I understand, the child was not a professional actor, and not the best actor, either. Apparently he "won" a "Razzie" for Worst Supporting Actor that year, unfortunately. It really does feel like the child was miscast, and he usually feels unprepared and unmotivated to act or deliver his lines. However this might have been a smart casting choice on the part of director John Cassavetes. Since the character's entire life is shaken to its core in a matter of minutes, there's an edge to the boy, and after awhile I got used to him.
In Peter Bogdanovich's book "Movie of the Week", Peter talks about how John Cassavetes - the film's writer-director - originally wanted Peter to direct and Barbra Streisand to star. Barbra didn't want to do it because she didn't think anyone would believe her in the role.
Gena is great Gloria, a complex character that is fascinating to watch. There's a touching scene in the middle of the film when Gloria takes the young boy to a cemetery and teaches him the importance of saying goodbye. She says to him (paraphrasing), "Your parents are not here, but you can still talk to them here. Pick any stones - those look like nice ones. Say whatever comes to your heart". The scene made me break down emotionally. Gloria cares about the boy even though she's connected with the mob herself. She has a sense of decency. The ending of the film is also a tearjerker.
I also watched another movie with a similar mother-son theme, Trucker from 2008. It stars Michelle Monaghan as a young trucker who is reluctantly reunited with her 10 year old son when the father becomes terminally ill. After a number of arguments, the two both learn to accept each other. This film also has a few heartbreaking scenes including one involving the sick dad (Benjamin Bratt) trying to explain to his son he is going to die. I recommend this movie, which co-stars Nathan Fillion as an unhappily married man who loves Michelle.
Here's a 2023 review of this movie from the blog Laura's Misc Musings.