| Mafia Mamma | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Catherine Hardwicke |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Amanda Sthers |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Patrick Murguia |
| Edited by | Waldemar Centeno |
| Music by | Alex Heffes |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Bleecker Street |
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages |
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| Box office | $7 million[2] |
Mafia Mamma is a 2023 Americanaction comedy film directed byCatherine Hardwicke, from a screenplay by Michael J. Feldman and Debbie Jhoon, and based on an original story byAmanda Sthers. It starsToni Collette as an American woman who travels to Italy following the death of her grandfather, whom she discovers was amafia Don.Monica Bellucci,Eduardo Scarpetta and Sophia Nomvete also star.
Filming began in Rome in May 2022. The film was released theatrically in the United States byBleecker Street on April 14, 2023, and grossed $7 million worldwide.
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Kristin, a writer and sales expert for a cosmetics company, is in the throes of amidlife crisis: her only son has just left for college, she catches her husband having sex with a younger woman in the basement of their home, and her bosses at the company treat her with contempt. She receives a call from a lawyer named Bianca inLazio, learning that her only living relative, her grandfather, has died and that she must attend his funeral and be present at the reading of his will.
Jenny, Kristin's friend, convinces her that attending the funeral will give her a chance to start over. Upon landing in Rome, Kristin runs into a local, Lorenzo, and his aunt Esmeralda. Kristin is attracted to Lorenzo and gives him her number before being picked up by Bianca's associates, Dante and Aldo. The funeral proceeds smoothly until armed men stage an ambush, and the coffin is destroyed by bullets. Aldo and Dante, following Bianca's instructions, get Kristin to safety.
At the reading, Bianca reveals that she is in fact theconsigliere of the Balbano family, a powerful branch of theSicilian Mafia. Kristin learns that her grandfather was the boss of the family, and that despite disapproving of his son having a child with an American woman, he wishes to honor tradition and have Kristin succeed him. A hysterical Kristin demands to leave, but Bianca calms her, and she is persuaded to take on the role.
Kristin's first act as boss is to meet with Don Carlo, boss of the rival Romano family, and settle a dispute between the two gangs over the murder of both her grandfather and the previous Romano don. Carlo manages to seduce Kristin and lures her into his hotel room, where he slips a dose of poison into herlimoncello. As Kristin prefers the glass with less liquor, she switches the glasses, and Don Carlo drinks his own poison and chokes to death. The Romanos promote Carlo's cousin, "Mammone", to succeed him.
Fabrizio, Kristin'scaporegime, disagrees with her plans to diversify the Balbano family's criminal operations by setting up "legal" businesses that include reopening her grandfather's famouswinery. Lorenzo and Kristin grow closer, but the relationship is frustrated by an inability for either of them to commit to each other. A hitman sent by Don Mammone interrupts Kristin in the middle of aZoom conference with her bosses, but she manages to stab him to death with herheel, only to then learn that the company has decided to fire her.
A despondent Kristin goes to Lorenzo's house, and they sleep together. The next day, she meets with Don Mammone, who agrees to forswear any further acts of vengeance against her and restore the peace between their families. Kristin finally accepts her situation and begins to take a more active involvement in the family, while also spending more time with Lorenzo. Their relationship is tested when her husband suddenly turns up in Lazio, claiming to be broke and in need of her help. Kristin refuses to do so and sends him away. She also lies to her son about Lorenzo, claiming he is only a friend, and causing him to question whether she truly loves him.
Kristin arranges a meeting with the Romanos to announce that she is retiring from the Mafia and giving her role as boss to Bianca. Don Mammone is enraged, and an armed standoff ensues before police officers led by Lorenzo and Esmeralda (who are secretly undercover detectives) raid the meeting place and take everyone into custody. Kristin hires Jenny to represent her in court, and because many of the locals have benefitted from her family's largess, they testify in her favor. She is cleared of all charges and meets with Lorenzo, who explains that his real name is Rudy. Kristin forgives him for deceiving her but decides to devote herself entirely to the family.
Bianca is seemingly murdered, and Kristin finds both her husband and her son held at gunpoint by Fabrizio, who turns out to be a traitor in league with the Romanos. He is about to murder Kristin when Bianca catches him off guard, and Kristin drops him to his death inside a grape crusher. She sends his finger as a warning to Don Mammone. Sometime later, Kristin's son is about to return home. As he departs, he sees his mother formally receiving guests in her capacity as head of the Balbano family.
Mafia Mamma was reported to be in pre-production in October 2021, withCatherine Hardwicke on board as director. Michael J. Feldman and Debbie Jhoon wrote the screenplay, based on an original story byAmanda Sthers.Toni Collette,Monica Bellucci, andRob Huebel were cast in leading roles but ultimately Huebel did not appear in the film.[3]
Principal photography took place in May 2022 on location inRome, Italy.[4][5]
Mafia Mamma was released theatrically in the United States on April 14, 2023, byBleecker Street.[6] The film was released digitally on May 2, 2023, and on DVD and Blu-ray on June 6.[7]
Mafia Mamma grossed $3.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $3.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $7 million.[2]
Released alongsideRenfield,The Pope's Exorcist,Suzume, andSweetwater, the film made $866,940 in its first day and went to debut on $2 million from 2,002 theatres, finishing eighth at the box office.[8]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 21% of 108 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Riddled with stereotypes, fatally unfunny, and a total tonal mishmash,Mafia Mamma is a criminal waste of Toni Collette."[9]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 42 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[10] Audiences polled byCinemascore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled atPostTrak gave it a 64% positive score, with 44% saying they would definitely recommend it.[11][12]
Jude Dry writing forIndieWire gave the film a B- grade. She thought the plot "leaves much to be desired" and felt Bellucci's Italian character was underdeveloped. She ended her review with: Though it's all satisfyingly silly,Mafia Mamma never quite find its tone. Hardwicke doesn't seem to know if she's doing Quentin Tarantino or Mel Brooks, and the two styles are so far apart that splitting the difference lands the movie out at sea".[13]Deadline Hollywood's Pete Hammond wrote, "In its own way, veteran director Catherine Hardwicke has turned all this into a more mainstream feminist comedy, a vehicle for Collette, who lifts it up a few notches and makes it all passable and likable enough for its 100-minute running time".[14]
Frank Scheck ofThe Hollywood Reporter criticized the writing of Collette's character, saying "Mafia Mamma squanders her considerable talents", but praised Bellucci's character. He ended his review with "If you want to see a truly witty comedy dealing with similar themes, stick with rewatchingJonathan Demme's terrific 1988 filmMarried to the Mob".[15] Peter Debruge ofVariety called the film "a fun fish-out-of-water farce withGodfather DNA and a clever female-empowerment kick,Mafia Mamma makes inspired use of Collette, who’s never better than when playing women we oughtn't to have underestimated".[1]
