Cinema’s goodnight call – Scorsese and De Niro dial into TikTok culture

De Niro prank-calls Scorsese in a viral TikTok from Tribeca. The cinematic icons embrace internet absurdity, blending Hollywood legacy with digital-age humor.

TikTok served up a treat late on Thursday night, as two Hollywood greats, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, partook in a whimsical goodnight call. Obviously, the clip is currently going viral.

The video opens with director Martin Scorsese, surprised to learn that Robert De Niro’s “goodnight” call has sparked a viral trend.

Then like a Scorsese movie itself, the movie goes back in time – here by three minutes – to reveal that De Niro, clad in a grey suit, is watching The Wiggles – a toddlers’ dancing series – with his daughter before bedtime.

The response among TikTokers was jubilant: one user posted that the clip was “absolute cinema,” while another said “giggling and kicking my feet rn (right now).”

@tribeca two legends, one trend #fyp #goodnightbro #martinscorsese #robertdeniro @Francesca ♬ original sound - tribeca

If you dig deeper, you'll see that the video was uploaded by Tribeca, a prestigious brand associated with serious cinema.

It’s essentially a love letter to Gen Z from a couple of boomers, and Hollywood refreshingly pivots away from the red carpet.

Juxtaposition is at play here, with legendary reputations going along with playful meme culture.

De Niro: Sleep well, dear!

Scorsese. Thank you, my love – bye!

The dialogue at the end is the icing on the cake, as the bond of over five decades working together is clearly evident.

At the time of writing, the video has just short of 250,000 views and at this rate is likely to climb even higher.