The “fish out of water” premise is not one I usually favor. The idea is fairly simple: you take somebody with a specific, entrenched milieu (and a personality derived from said milieu), present them with shockingly different circumstances, and watch science happen. I’m sure you can name several films like this already; they usually involve guns and people who don’t know how to wield them. There’s a limit to how far this kind of comedy goes because even the audience has adapted by the end of Act I. So I’m happy to find this take in Mafia Mamma –while hardly unique- to be enjoyable. Yes, there will be cheese. Yes, there will be cliché and stereotypes. And yet, I like what they did here.
Kristin (Toni Collette) has a life few envy. Her job sucks. Her husband (Tim Daish) is an all-capitals LOSER. The child –her only child- that she dotes on is headed away to college. Sexism is so rampant at her ad company, it’s practically the CEO. After a godawful team pitch meeting, Kristin comes home to find her husband in the act … and yet Kristin is such a doormat that she responds to the other woman’s attempts to befriend.
We all know Kristin needs a change of scene which she gets when her Italian grandfather dies and relatives beckon her to the funeral. Trip to Italy? Sure. Of course, Kristin is so wrapped in her angst that she sees it as a bad thing before she sees it as a good one. Ahhhhh, modern life. “Sorry, I can’t enjoy myself right now; I’m too busy being miserable.”
Eager to leave her doormat life behind, however, Kristin heads to Italy for sex ‘n’ ceremony … but mostly sex. The bad news is she and her clan get shot at during the funeral procession (their bunch is at war with a rival). The good news is … well, this is bad news, too … her grandfather was a Don. He had a donnery. Is that a word? He had a mafia kingdom and upon his death, he declared that Kristin be his successor.
Well, I can only think of about 47 things wrong with this picture, but if I state them aloud, we don’t get Mafia Mamma, which was a fun if unserious look at a meek, abused, woman turning her life
around by circumstance. Well, what would you do as a mob boss at war?
What follows is farce. You don’t have to enjoy it. Many people will not based on farfetchedness alone. I think they’re missing out; Toni Collette is lovely as the caterpillar-turned-Donna and Mafia Mamma should speak to anyone who has had to settle for circumstances they didn’t choose. Is the film humorous? What about a zoom call with a botched mob hit going on in the background?
Sometimes I just don’t get people. Between Mafia Mamma and Renfield, there’s whole lot of “meh” in exchange for what ought to be a whole lot of love. Folks, this is what you want in a movie. I mean, sure, threatened males will naturally wince at the *shocking* idea of a female Don, but these films should appeal to genuine adults. This is not only farcical comedy, but character growth as well. Do you know how rare that is in a funny film? Mafia Mamma is a great double with Renfield; they both illustrate modern personality crises clashing with a long established world of horror. They are both examinations of the clash between old and new and the reconciliation between self-centered ancient desire and self-aware modern angst. IMDB voters, I know you hate it when women have, you know, perspectives, but this film is much better than you’re giving it credit for.
The mob, clearly, is not meant for a lass
Alphas and betas will surely harass
Yet this femme capo
Can best El Chapo
Hence, I’m giving this Don-na a pass
Rated R, 101 Minutes
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Writer: Amanda Sthers, J. Michael Feldman, Debbie Jhoon
Genre: Having it all
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Underappreciated wives
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Their partners
