For his performance, Hulce received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama.

Dominick "Nicky" and Eugene "Gino" Luciano are fraternal twin brothers living together in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Gino, who is studying to become a doctor, receives an offer to complete his education at Stanford University but fears that Nicky will not be able to take care of himself.

They leave the building and give Joey to Theresa; the Pittsburgh police handcuff Nicky, who tells everyone that Martin killed Mikey.

The consensus summarizes: "Thanks to strong performances and a steady directorial hand, Dominick and Eugene successfully navigates potentially tricky themes in thoughtful, compelling fashion without resorting to trite sentimentality.

"[3] In a positive review, Sheila Benson of the Los Angeles Times commented the film "is drama nudged uneasily into melodrama by the events of its last quarter.

What keeps it on the side of the angels are the warmth of the writing, especially in the crucial early scenes that set the boys' relationship; the depth and wonderment with which Hulce imbues Nicky, making him unworldly and sweet but never cloying, and the deep emotions tapped by Hulce and Liotta as these loving brothers.

"[4] Janet Maslin of The New York Times said: "As directed by Robert M. Young, Dominick and Eugene has a refreshing plainness and a welcome unwillingness to milk the story for more pathos than is warranted.

The screenplay by Alvin Sargent and Corey Blechman, from a story by Danny Porfirio, might seem more frankly manipulative were it not for the mutual love and concern conveyed by the two stars.