Mafia Mamma, 2023.
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke.
Starring Toni Collette, Monica Bellucci, Rob Huebel, Alfonso Perugini, Yonv Joseph, Tommy Rodger, Eduardo Scarpetta, Alessandro Bressanello, Tim Daish, Jay Natelle, Sophia Nomvete, Giulio Corso, Dora Romano, Francesco Mastroianni, Giuseppe Zeno, Mitch Salm, and Claire Palazzo.
SYNOPSIS:
Mafia Mamma follows an insecure American woman (Toni Collette) who unexpectedly inherits her grandfather’s mafia empire in Italy. Guided by the firm’s trusted consigliere (Monica Bellucci), she hilariously defies everyone’s expectations, including her own, as the new head of the family business.
The Mafia Mamma tagline “from suburban mom to mafia don” is unquestionably outrageous and absurd, but you know what, there actually is worthwhile character evolution to explore there.
Unfortunately, director Catherine Hardwicke (working with screenwriting team J. Michael Feldman and Debbie Jhoon, based on a story by Amanda Sthers) fills that premise with lazy comedy (including visual references to The Godfather and repeated namedrops), eye-rolling plot machinations (the rival family’s leader is super attractive and Toni Collette’s character is ultra horny), clashing tones (the lowbrow lowest common denominator humor here might work for the intended audience, but they certainly don’t want to see gory violence and dismemberment, causing one to question who the hell this movie is for), and girl boss needle drops to go alongside a tale of empowerment that feels manufactured rather than something sincere that will actually inspire women to become their own bosses.
Kristin (Toni Collette, over-the-top in every conceivable manner) is the standard working mom, stuck inside a sexist job environment that doesn’t value her ideas, excited but sad about sending her son Domenick (Tommy Rodger) off the college, and has a manchild husband Paul (Tim Daish) more concerned with his failing aspirations of becoming a musician than handling responsibilities.
While receiving a strange call from someone in Italy explaining that her grandfather has died and that she must return to settle the affairs, she also walks in on Paul having sex with the school guidance counselor. The next day at women’s self-defense class, her best friend Jenny (Sophia Nomvete) points out that she is always putting other people, especially men, before herself and that she should use the opportunity to indulge and have a good time.
These are all creative ideas to center an empowering story on, but Mafia Mamma is determined to be a comedy. The filmmakers insist that these jokes are funny, often repeating the same ones; there is a recurring play of words on the novel Eat Pray Love that is cheap and dumb. It’s also one thing to make Kristin a wife and mother taken for granted, but she is also naïve and dimwitted to an unbelievable degree that undercuts an empowering message the story wants to tell. Consistently, she is placed into amusing situations where the writers have no idea what to do besides making her character unbearably stupid and uncultured. This goes far beyond having no experience with The Godfather movies.
Nevertheless, Bianca (Monica Bellucci), the consigliere to her grandfather, explains that he was a mafia don and that everything she knew about her father was also a lie. The family legacy has been entrusted to Kristin, who must also stomp out or reach peace with an opposing family. Again, the latter option there seems to be the more likely choice considering Kristin is practically ready to fuck any semi-attractive Italian man she comes across, including Lorenzo (Giulio Corso), a sweet pasta maker who suspiciously bumps into her immediately after landing in Italy. As Kristin quickly learns that the Mafia lifestyle is dangerous and filled with murder attempts on her life (something insulting that shouldn’t have to be explained to this character), she further pushes back on taking control, expressing that she wants to live a normal life and open a restaurant with Lorenzo.
Admittedly, a gruesome moment in Mafia Mamma is enjoyable to watch and clearly meant to mark a transition in Kristin and her belief in her capabilities (in general, the action scenes are competently crafted). She comes up with strong ideas to expand and grow the family business, finding herself in a position where her brainstorming is met with respect rather than being handed off to misogynistic idiots. Things are more tolerable to watch after this event, especially since it pulls back on the atrocious comedy. However, it’s still largely airheaded, taking every predictably dumb turn one could imagine.
The issue isn’t that these two tones don’t work but that the comedy needs to be darker and not come at the expense of massacring Kristin’s intelligence. The solid concept here is whacked almost as soon as the film begins.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
