Tropic Sprockets / Mafia Mamma

By Ian Brockway

Director Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen) puts a suburban mom front and center within the mafia realm in the comedy “Mafia Mamma.” This film is in the zany (but not zany enough) genre, spoofing cliches and situations in picturesque Italy. [For showtimes and trailer, check Tropiccinema.com.] However, the film gets overly silly with mild jokes and the momentum stalls, despite the best efforts of the lead actor.

Kristin (Toni Collette) is an overwhelmed mom who just witnessed her selfish husband cheating on her in the basest of ways. As luck would have it, Kristen gets a phone call telling her that her mafia don grandfather died, and that she should take a plane to Italy posthaste. Kristen wants to get away from her useless uncaring husband as fast as she can to begin a program of “Eat Pray Fuck.”

When she gets there, she is ushered into the mafia family by Bianca (Monica Bellucci), and a video by her late grandfather informing her that she must carry on the family name against a rival. Kristen balks saying she is on a love and pleasure tour of sorts, but Bianca insists that she reconsider, destroying her cell phone. Kristen decides to humor her and go along with it.

Toni Collette is a solid actor with screen charisma, and she does her best here. She peaks when her character can’t believe what it’s doing, or when she is sarcastic. There just isn’t much going on of interest, regardless of mafia intrigue. 

There is a poison cocktail switch and the gory murder of a penis by a high heeled shoe, which might have been provocative if not for the overly violent coarseness in which it was handled. 

The oddest flat moments feature Monica Bellucci who acts the straight role dispassionately much as Liam Neeson did in Seth MacFarlane’s “A Million Ways to Die in the West.” (2014).

There is Fabrizio (Eduardo Scarpetta), an intense front man with steroid rage but he has no real menace or charge to make it funny.

Suffice it to say, Kirsten meets macho don after don and settles the score, but beyond that there is not much here. Hardwicke has all the best intent to send a powerful message, but the narrative runs thin. Hold my order of Pasta Fra Diavolo with smoked sausage.

Write Ian at [email protected]

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