Mambo Italiano

Mambo Italiano

Young gay Italian-Canadian comes out of the closet, only to have his apathetic, bisexual lover leave him for a straight marriage. Playwright Steve Galluccio co-adapted his stage show for the screen with director Émile Gaudreault, and the results are like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" played at the wrong speed. Gay viewers will be pathetically grateful to see a tiny bit of male-to-male affection in the film, however nothing depicted here rings true (not even in the context of the ethnic fairy tale Galluccio gifts-wraps the scenario in). Lead actor Luke Kirby has been directed to be sullen, confrontational, and condescending towards just about everyone--nothing funny there--while his parents (Ginette Reno and Paul Sorvino) are way over-the-top, acting aghast and waving their arms about as if this were a "Saturday Night Live" sketch. The movie can't decide how cartoonish (or how sensitive) it should actually be, and many of the actors look terribly unsure of themselves as a result (particularly Sorvino, who fidgets unhappily throughout). As the ex-boyfriend, Peter Miller looks like he was cast for his physique and resemblance to Val Kilmer, yet he fails to register, as do many of the stereotyped jokes. There's a possibility that gay moviegoers might actually buy into this picture: it is brightly-rendered and juiced with upbeat music. However, it is petrified of showing homosexual affection (thus the central gay couple have broken up before anything can develop on-screen between them), and this is as offensive as anything in an anti-gay comedy. * from ****

Maybe it's because I come from Italian heritage that I find this film so funny. I honestly think I laughed out loud during this film one of the highest amounts I've ever belly-laughed during a movie. And you know how you laugh later on in a movie when nothing funny is going on because the thought of something hilarious that happened earlier is still stuck with you? Well that happened plenty of times to me here. I believe that it's because the Southern Italian and Sicilian in me both find fat Italian men to be perhaps the funniest group of people in the world. They are not simply funny because they know how to tell a joke, or they know how to pull off a good pratfall, but more because all you have to do is look at them, and they can make you burst out laughing. There is a scene where Paul Sorvino and Ginette Reno, whom I believe plays his wife, sit close together on a small bench in a cemetery facing the camera, and I suddenly started laughing. They look funny. They don't look weird. They just look like the first thing they say or do is going to make me laugh like a hyena. Every scene for the first half of the film, literally every single one, contains something explosively funny to me, and they are mostly consisting of native Italians speaking rough English with thick Italian accents and fulfilling stereotypes of ardent cultural traditions. Hands down, the scenes that made me cackle so hard I thought my friend watching it with me was going to slap me for the unreasonable sound that can cause me to make were the scenes that depict what Italian families are like when the son moves out. Mambo Italiano is also a surprise, because really it doesn't look that good. On the cover of the DVD case, you see a bunch of characters in some comical motion lined up across the cover, and you feel like you could pretty much guess completely what their service to the story is. Well, you'll be vaguely right, but if it wouldn't surprise you too much for me to say this at this point, it's a very poignant film about growing up as a homosexual surrounded by conflicting influences and pressure. The film will actually make you angry at society and the reality of what friends and family can end up doing to you in your life. But it's riotous fun.

When I went to see this movie I was expecting it to be more funny. Instead, the only thing that came out of it was the drama that the characters go through when they find out that Angelo is gay and he's been sleeping with his childhood best friend. As an Italian myself from Montreal, I always get asked by other people if that is the way Italian 'famiglia' is like (slap up-side the head, parents being on your case 24/7 and people trying to fix you up with someone you can't stand even from 3000 miles away) the answer is YES, YES and YES, that's the way it REALLY is...now get over it already! The poster for this movie calls it "The Comedy of the Summer" or if you've seen it in french "La Comedie de L'ete", don't be fooled, it's not all THAT funny. Expect to see lots of drama in it. My rating for this movie out of 5 is: ***1/2

I saw the play and hoped that the movie adaptation could be no worse. I was wrong. The main problem with the play and the movie is that it can't decide what period it's depicting. Had it been rooted in the post-war Italian immigration, with the main character growing up in the sixties and coming of age in the seventies, all of this might be more believable. But having it set in present-day Montreal? Not on your life! Paul Servino gives the only credible performance. Ms.Reno loses what I take is supposed to be an Italian accent half-way through the film. Mary Walsh is hopeless from the beginning; I'm still not sure what accent she thought she was doing. Claudia Ferri, playing Anna Barberini, speaks with an Hispanic accent (Why would her character have any accent? She was born in Canada!)Peter Miller, as Nino, is supposed to look good and look conflicted. He does the former well and the latter tolerably well. The lead character of Angelo had been re-written to make him more likeable to a movie audience. This attempt is more or less a success considering how odious the character is in the play. No one will come away from this movie with a single prejudice challenged thereby guaranteeing its success. I'm surprised that the Mafia was not included in a more obvious way. I am a gay Canadian of Italian descent: I squirmed in my seat watching this minstrel show of stereotypes.

Shamefull. Italians and gay people everywhere should sue. Angelo (Luke Kirby) comes from a 'traditional' Italian family, lives in Canada and just happens to be gay. He's comfortable with his sexuality but his boyfriend Nino, (Peter Miller), a cop and the son of friends of Angelo's parents, isn't. At least he has no intention of coming out of his iron-clad closet. Will true love finally conquer all? Who cares? The jokes aren't funny, the ethnic and gay stereotypes are embarrassing and talented actors like Paul Sorvino and Ginette Reno should be ashamed of themselves for appearing in trash like this. The 'camp' score is good and the whole world comes out of the closet at the end so happy endings all round? I nearly threw up. Someone called Emile Gaudreault was responsible. I hope he can live with himself.

Only movie I didn't finish it was so lame. Laughable accents. Blatant ripoff of My Big Fat Greek Wedding but done extremely badly.

I read the 'user comments' before writing this and I have to say I am amazed so that so many people, especially gay ones, LIKED this! Do you mean to tell me that you thought it was great that the lover left the main character ONLY cause he outed him to his family, and then, to add insult to injury, marries an obnoxious WOMAN?! Are you kidding? Then you're supposed to be happy at the end that the main character met a nice guy, and so what if he's not Italian. If that's a happy ending, then I'll take mine rare. I hate and loathe this movie. It insulted me and made me furious that something so ridiculous could be committed to celluloid. 1/10 and I'd go lower if I could.

Nearly all the reviewers saw a different film than I did, Granted that the 2 main characters are guys & not male & female, This is not a GAY themed film. It is about straight peoples reactions & its affect on 2 nice gay ?? men,. It is as I stated above, another incarnation Abe's Irish Rose. the 1920's hit comedy play about a Jewish Guy & an Irisg girl & there respective lovable but bigoted family. This time we have Angelo & Gino. Angelo is GAY & Gino is(as we find out) Bi-sexual. Two real nice Italian lads with real nice but ever so bigoted parents. This is based on a play based on the life of the author.I will not dispute this, BUT it is another incarnation of ABE'S IRISH ROSE written in the 1920's. The setting for this film is Canada, thru do mention that they are Canadians more than once. It is nicely acted & well made, I liked everyone in it & I think you will as well. Paul Sorvino is the best known name in film & as usual he is great. see this for a pleasant non-taxing evening. ratings ***(out of 4) 84 points (out of 100) IMDb 7 ( out of 10)

Can't believe they actually do movies like this one. Not that I have something against gay people, it just that I hate this kind of movies. But, one man's garbage is another man's gold.