One of Goodfellas lightest and funniest scenes is a big contrast with what Henry (Ray Liotta), Tommy (Joe Pesci), and Jimmy (Robert De Niro) are going through at that moment, but one detail gives a whole new meaning to it. Although Martin Scorsese has made various gangster movies, all of them praised by critics, Goodfellas is the one widely regarded as his best in that genre. Based on Nicholas Pileggis 1985 nonfiction book Wiseguy, Goodfellas chronicles the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill, from his teenage days running errands for Paul Cicero (Paul Sorvino) and his crew, to becoming part of it.

https://screenrant.com/goodfellas-tommy-mom-dinner-scene-theory-explained/