Mambo italiano (2003)

Director:

Émile Gaudreault

Writers:

Steve Galluccio (play)
Steve Galluccio (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 October 2003 (Slovenia)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Things change. Family doesn't.

Plot:

The son of Italian immigrants to Canada struggles to find the best way to reveal to his parents that he's gay.

Plot Keywords:

Gay | Italian | Immigrant | Childhood Friend | Gay Interest

Awards:

11 nominations

Cast

Luke Kirby	...	Angelo Barberini
Ginette Reno	...	Maria Barberini
Paul Sorvino	...	Gino Barberini
Mary Walsh	...	Lina Paventi
Peter Miller	...	Nino Paventi
Claudia Ferri	...	Anna Barberini
Sophie Lorain	...	Pina Lunetti
Tim Post	...	Peter
Tara Nicodemo	...	Yolanda / Woman in Airplane / Jolene
Pierrette Robitaille	...	Rosetta
Dino Tavarone	...	Giorgio
Mark Camacho	...	Johnny Christofaro
Michel Perron	...	Father Carmignani
Lou Vani	...	Marco
Diane Lavallée	...	Mélanie

MPAA:

Rated R for language and sexual situations.

Runtime:

88 min | Canada:92 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | USA:99 min | Argentina:92 min | UK:85 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English | Italian | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Chile:Y7 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Germany:6 (f) | Argentina:13 | Canada:14A | Netherlands:AL | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Le Village Gai, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Cinémaginaire Inc.

Trivia:

Both the film and the play (which the film is based upon) are based on Steve Galluccio's own life and experiences.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Gino and Maria visit the cemetery, Maria says that her sister was 33 when she died, but the dates on the tombstone are 1960-1987, which would make her 27.

Quotes:

Angelo: Are you okay?
Anna: I will be once the Valium kicks in.

Movie Connections:

References "Dynasty" (1981)

Soundtrack:

Fear and Love

An amusing film about Italians abroad

I watched this film at the cinema last year, and I found it very funny. As an Italian-born male, sentences like " Italians move out either when they marry or when they die" made me really laugh, because this is partly true! Nevertheless, I think there's something which needs making clear. The characters and situations portrayed in the film are credible and hilarious insofar as they're set in the Italian communities of Canada, USA or Australia. I worked for 4 years in the export department of a company making Italian espresso coffee, thus getting in touch with lots of Italians who had settled in faraway countries many years ago. What I noticed is that most of them retain a picture of Italy and a system of values which were real in the country they left behind years ago, but look old-fashioned and rather over-the-top in today's Italy. I think it's undeniable that ethnic communities abroad are more conservative and traditional than the countries they came from, as they cling to values that, though being "frozen" for them, have evolved in the meantime. So some characters and situations of the film appear exaggerated if compared with Italians of 2005, but are really amusing if set in the context of the life of Italian immigrants, who represent what we used to be a few decades ago. A light comedy, to be enjoyed without taking ourselves too seriously.