Mafia Mamma
Mafia Mamma
Starring Toni Collette, Monica Bellucci, Rob Huebel, Sophia Nomvete
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke
Starring Toni Collette, Monica Bellucci, Rob Huebel, Sophia Nomvete
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke
I've said it before, but the comedy genre is one of my least favorites, because most of them center solely on crude humor just for the sake of being crude and not having it intertwine with anything involving a storyline. I'm all for crude funny humor when it has a point, but when your film is about how many times you can mention private parts, it loses its humor pretty quickly. Rarely there's a comedy that also has a heart to it, a film that'll have you rolling in laughter and also contemplate your own existence, and while "Mafia Mamma" isn't exactly entirely on that level, it does provide gut-busting humor with a deep emotional center thanks to the impeccable, underappreciated, and goddess-like Toni Collette.
Kristin (Toni Collette) is a meek, mild-mannered mother who spends her time doting over her son who's heading to college, and being the adult to her man-child husband who's cheating on her. She has spent her whole life thinking of other people and never taking time out for herself, and because of this she suffers from low self-esteem and undervalues her worth. Then she finds out that her grandfather - whom she never met - has died, and she's told to come to his funeral in Italy to deal with his affairs. She arrives and meets his former advisor Bianca (Monica Bellucci) and they head to the funeral, which comes under fire by a rival mafia crime family. Kristin then learns that her grandfather was the leader of the rival mafia, and his dying wish was for her to take over the family business. Kristin doesn't want anything to do with it, but as she stumbles into different scenarios that makes her seem stronger than she is, she begins to think that she could actually take charge - and in doing so find her best self in the process.
"Mafia Mamma" doesn't break new ground, but it treads in a way that makes every predicable beat exciting, heartfelt, and most importantly funny. You know how it all will turn out in the end, but it doesn't mean the journey is worthless: in fact, it's the journey that makes you appreciate the film even more, because it does something that's rare for an outlandish idea like this: it makes you feel like you're in Kristin's predicament. You have a deep emotional interest in her well-being, because you see yourself in her - a person who has spent their whole life thinking about the needs of others while neglecting their own wants, needs, and desires, and how it seemed too late for her to find herself, only to find that it's never too late to create your best life.
In this case, her best life is taking on the mantle of the leader of her grandfather's mafia crime family, to which she feels like she's wholly inept to do - and mostly everyone else agrees. She just wanted to go to Italy because it was something she always wanted to do, and maybe have a fling or two to get revenge against her philandering husband. Instead, she finds herself under constant attack and multiple murder attempts, and she's obviously a fish out of water. Then she finds her inner strength in her ability to help others, and uses that to turn her mafia family around and create peace, find a worthwhile use for the mafia, and shine in the middle of the darkness. To get to this point, however, she endures several hilariously disastrous moments such as almost being murdered by a rival mafia boss, almost murdered again by a trained assassin, and dealing with a new love and struggling with wanting to tell him the truth but isn't capable of. Again, this film doesn't create something new, but makes the predictable beats enjoyable.
This is due entirely to the amazing talent that is Toni Collette, an often-forgotten actress who's range is vast, strong, and unparalleled. She can tackle serious dramatic films like "The Sixth Sense" (earning herself her only Academy Award nomination), she can let loose and be wholly comedic in films like "Krampus" and "Knives Out," and also deep dive into dark psychological horrors like "Velvet Buzzsaw" and "Hereditary" (to this day she's the most robbed actress in history for not receiving an Academy Award nomination for her performance here). She has an effervescent persona that makes her endearing no matter what role she plays, and playing a mild-mannered mother-turned-mafia-boss is one of her best, because she's wholly believable in it. You are connected and drawn to her character because she epitomizes what it feels like to be the underdog: unappreciated, undervalued, and undermined at every turn. To see her grow into her best self is praiseworthy, and it's all surrounded by some of the most hilarious moments of her career.
That's not to say the film is perfect, because there's some serious pacing issues that occur where the film suddenly spirals to insanity, but it's forgiven because Toni Collette is at the wheel, and you trust her judgment. Still, the story itself seems to dip and weave more than it should, offering simple solutions to complex problems and then culminating in some shocking moments that sort of take away from it all, but again with Collette in the lead, it's easily forgivable. She's a legend, a beast, and now a mafia mamma.
The Score: A-
Kristin (Toni Collette) is a meek, mild-mannered mother who spends her time doting over her son who's heading to college, and being the adult to her man-child husband who's cheating on her. She has spent her whole life thinking of other people and never taking time out for herself, and because of this she suffers from low self-esteem and undervalues her worth. Then she finds out that her grandfather - whom she never met - has died, and she's told to come to his funeral in Italy to deal with his affairs. She arrives and meets his former advisor Bianca (Monica Bellucci) and they head to the funeral, which comes under fire by a rival mafia crime family. Kristin then learns that her grandfather was the leader of the rival mafia, and his dying wish was for her to take over the family business. Kristin doesn't want anything to do with it, but as she stumbles into different scenarios that makes her seem stronger than she is, she begins to think that she could actually take charge - and in doing so find her best self in the process.
"Mafia Mamma" doesn't break new ground, but it treads in a way that makes every predicable beat exciting, heartfelt, and most importantly funny. You know how it all will turn out in the end, but it doesn't mean the journey is worthless: in fact, it's the journey that makes you appreciate the film even more, because it does something that's rare for an outlandish idea like this: it makes you feel like you're in Kristin's predicament. You have a deep emotional interest in her well-being, because you see yourself in her - a person who has spent their whole life thinking about the needs of others while neglecting their own wants, needs, and desires, and how it seemed too late for her to find herself, only to find that it's never too late to create your best life.
In this case, her best life is taking on the mantle of the leader of her grandfather's mafia crime family, to which she feels like she's wholly inept to do - and mostly everyone else agrees. She just wanted to go to Italy because it was something she always wanted to do, and maybe have a fling or two to get revenge against her philandering husband. Instead, she finds herself under constant attack and multiple murder attempts, and she's obviously a fish out of water. Then she finds her inner strength in her ability to help others, and uses that to turn her mafia family around and create peace, find a worthwhile use for the mafia, and shine in the middle of the darkness. To get to this point, however, she endures several hilariously disastrous moments such as almost being murdered by a rival mafia boss, almost murdered again by a trained assassin, and dealing with a new love and struggling with wanting to tell him the truth but isn't capable of. Again, this film doesn't create something new, but makes the predictable beats enjoyable.
This is due entirely to the amazing talent that is Toni Collette, an often-forgotten actress who's range is vast, strong, and unparalleled. She can tackle serious dramatic films like "The Sixth Sense" (earning herself her only Academy Award nomination), she can let loose and be wholly comedic in films like "Krampus" and "Knives Out," and also deep dive into dark psychological horrors like "Velvet Buzzsaw" and "Hereditary" (to this day she's the most robbed actress in history for not receiving an Academy Award nomination for her performance here). She has an effervescent persona that makes her endearing no matter what role she plays, and playing a mild-mannered mother-turned-mafia-boss is one of her best, because she's wholly believable in it. You are connected and drawn to her character because she epitomizes what it feels like to be the underdog: unappreciated, undervalued, and undermined at every turn. To see her grow into her best self is praiseworthy, and it's all surrounded by some of the most hilarious moments of her career.
That's not to say the film is perfect, because there's some serious pacing issues that occur where the film suddenly spirals to insanity, but it's forgiven because Toni Collette is at the wheel, and you trust her judgment. Still, the story itself seems to dip and weave more than it should, offering simple solutions to complex problems and then culminating in some shocking moments that sort of take away from it all, but again with Collette in the lead, it's easily forgivable. She's a legend, a beast, and now a mafia mamma.
The Score: A-
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