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64 reviews in total

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32 out of 38 people found the following review useful:
Not for clueless heteros or over-sensitive Italians, 17 October 2003

Author: pyotr-3 from Washington DC

This very clever and fun little film has had more off-base reviews written about it than any film in history. Way too many reviewers react with horror at - gasp - stereotypical representations of Italians. They neglect the fact that in actual fact the Italian-ness is 100% of the charm and beauty of the film, and that not one of the Italians are not people we have all seen in real life. They also neglect the fact that Italian culture and tradition has seldom looked so good or as real as it does in "Mambo Italiano." The Italian sister is heroic in her actions, and the Italian parents who come around in he end are just like parents of ANY nationality. I really fail to see what all the squawking about "negative stereotypes" is all about.

As a Southerner and as a gay man I know something about stereotyping. All groups get stereotyped. This is not necessarily a bad thing, unless it is the ONLY representation of a group that society ever sees. We all need to see the true diversity of any group. I think we have all seen plenty of other Italians and gay persons now, so we don't have to worry that a viewer will see this movie and assume that all Italians and gay men are like the folks in "Mambo Italiano." But frankly, if they did, I think they would have rather positive images of Italians. Unfortunately they would leave the theater thinking that half of all gay men get married to women in order to hide the fact that they are gay. Luckily I suspect most folks know this is not the case, though it certainly does happen, since society still makes it impossible for some of us to stay in certain professions and be gay at the same time (cops, firemen, coaches, soldiers in the U.S., pro athletes...).

"Mambo Italiano" is hilarious and light-hearted. It is a big mistake to try to read too much into it. Just sit back, relax, and laugh. It is one heck of a clever, funny little film, with a surprise ending. Betcha can't guess how it ends!

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19 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
Pleasantly Suprising, 1 November 2003

Author: Scott Hoeninger (ScoHoe1982) from Chicago, IL

I decided to see this film because I had nothing else to do. I wasn't expecting much more than gay stereotypes and ridiculous humor. However I discovered just the opposite.

I have heard comparisons to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", but the only similarity I see is in the stereotypical presentation of nationalities. However, these stereotypes aren't offensive, but more so delightful and some what sweet.

Angelo (Luke Kirby) is presented with just enough humor, but more so just enough heart that it makes the character beleiveable. For once gays are not presented as obnoxious drag queens or someone dying from AIDS. In fact, the two latter factions are not even present in the film. Instead it focuses on one mans humorous journey of self discovery in both relations to his family, partner, and his own sexuality.

At the end of the film, you leave feeling very happy. Sure everything turned out for the best in the end, but sometimes we need films like this to remind just how fun and quirky life can be at times.

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18 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
An amusing film about Italians abroad, 3 September 2005

Author: nicolaborrelli76 from Naples, Italy

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.

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18 out of 24 people found the following review useful:
Funniest film around, 11 December 2003

Author: c_live_n from London, England

This is the one film of the year I would recommend to anyone who wants a good laugh. Ignore the po-faced people who did not enjoy it and prepare yourself for an over-the-top stereotypical portrayal of "chaotic yet serene" ethnics in the wrong province in the wrong country. It is well-scripted and well-edited and the timing of the actors and director never fails. If you want to find out about real gay life or Italian Quebeckers, this is not the film to see; it is just an excellent comedy with plenty of gems - and good comedies are few and far between nowadays.

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13 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
*To Bi or Not to Bi?*, 29 January 2005

Author: rbrb

A hilariously funny and thoughtful movie!

Gay guys lovers both in repressive families face the pressures of "coming out". Can they survive or will one with a dominating mother and job as a cop be forced to live a lie and the life of a straight?

Scene after scene is highly entertaining. The movie has an excellent script, is beautifully filmed and deserves top marks.

The family of the guys give first class performances as do all the players and there are so many super scenes, my favorite is when one of the guys tries to assist on a gay helpline.

On a more serious note-can only speculate the number of gays, male and female, forced through homophobia and pressure to be in relationships they don't want.

10 out of 10.

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16 out of 23 people found the following review useful:
Non ce male! (That means you'll like it), 6 June 2003

Author: bxc85 from Almaty Chamber of Commerce

As an east end, English speaking Montrealer not of Italian origin but always among Italians, this film struck a chord with me. It's about a perpetual outsider named Angelo, played by Luke Kirby (his acting skill is phenomenal; casting directors, take note, his face is so expressive that words fail in attempting to describe it, a real cinema actor). This hilarious film is about Angelo's trials and tribulations, striving to find his voice as a writer while the worlds around him, both old and new, are more earthbound and mundane. His parents (portrayed by Paul Sorvino and Ginette Reno) rise above stereotypes and seem quite believable (believe me, I know). The gay issue, which meant that the screening I attended in St. Leo was mainly young women whose boyfriends couldn't be dragged to a movie about "salsicce-eaters," was dealt with a tact and humility that is rare in even supposedly pro-gay films and TV shows. Angelo is a man who likes men, but so what? He feels pain, he loves, and he yearns; he's not some camp stereotype, nor is he some quirky sidekick with no personal problems. His sister Anna (also well played by Claudia Ferri) could have a whole movie to herself, with her constant battles with the parents' leaving her a valium-popping mental car wreck. Then there is Nino, Angelo's boyfriend. He struggles with his identity too (gay cop isn't exactly as popular a job as systems analyst), and is in some respects more complex a character than Angelo. However, he is not the focus of the movie.

Though the trailers make this look like a vain attempt to make a Canadian/Italian answer to the visually much duller My Big Fat Greek Wedding, this is not the case. Playwright Steve Gallucio collaborated on the screen version with director Emile Gaudrealt, ensuring faithfulness to the excellent original while ensuring that the film has a definite cinematic flair. The colours are are as vivid as the characterisations, the only drawback in the latter being that there are not too many Italians in the principle cast. Mary Walsh, though quite funny and recognizable to the 2 or 3 Canadians who actually watch the CBC, is definitely not Sicilian.

That being said, the movie has far fewer limitations than strengths. It has funny moments, and it has daringly dark moments. I don't want to give away too much, as I want as many people to see this as possible. My only real complaint is that the parents' house in St. Leo didn't have a statue of the Virgin Mary out front. All in all, please watch this film.

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14 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
100% entertainment & 100% gay positive, 15 October 2003

Author: John Frame (jvframe@ozemail.com.au) from Brisbane, Australia

I saw a preview session of the Canadian romantic comedy Mambo Italiano last night (15th Oct '03) and this really is one of the very best gay themed films I've seen - and equally well suited to both a young and older audience.

I went to the preview because it had a gay theme - but quickly realised there's a lot more on offer - and a great deal of the film is about family and tradition. It's made with absolute honesty in regard to it's gay content, and as such is neither opportunistic nor preachy.

Mambo Italiano successfully avoids all likely clichés with a beautifully crafted script, first class acting and some of the best editing I've seen in any motion picture. And it looks spectacular - verging on surreal.

I thought it was wonderful that the predominantly young and mixed (and presumably straight) crowd all laughed, swooned, sobbed and cringed - although not all at the same time - proving that there are a lot of angles to this film which will appeal to a very broad audience.

Mambo Italiano is the best time I've had in a movie theatre in the last couple of years - and it thoroughly deserves commercial success.

I like that the TV adverts are give none of the film away, in fact understating how good it really is. You'll be surprised - it's the sort of film you'd love to see twice.

"Gayline" telephone counsellors around the globe will have to forgive one aspect of the plot (the lack of adequate training before going on-line), but they'll get a kick out of the fact that they're a key plot line.

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Very entertaining and fun!, 30 December 2006

Author: Gordon-11 from Hong Kong

This film is about a second generation Italian immigrant having to come to terms with the drastic consequences of coming out of the closet.

This film is unlike any other film I have seen. It is very fast paced, each subplot don't last for more than 1 minute. There is a lot of self narrative. It also shows intersecting events and scenes of relevant characters, which is unusual for a comedy.

The sets are visually rich and appealing, and are always colourful and carefully constructed. The character development is great, and we care about the characters in the film. The script is excellent. The neurotic sister is hilarious. The arguments of the parents are very lively and funny, and are entertaining to watch. The costumes are nice and trendy, but not over the top.

In summary, this film is a lot of fun, very entertaining, humorous, visually appealing, and there is something for everyone! The only gay scene is a half a second kiss, which certainly will not hinder its crossover appeal to the mainstream. This film deserves more recognition than it gets!

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6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
I Laughed More Watching This Film Than I Have At Anything In Months, 1 July 2007

Author: jzappa from Cincinnati, OH, United States

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.

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6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
One thinks it's easy to be gay in Canada - and is mistaken!, 4 September 2006

Author: karhukissa from Hungary

Unlike some other commentators, I knew nothing about this film except it's a comedy about gay men. So I didn't expect much, but got all the more! First of all, I was glad to see that the main character was neither the classic handsome Hollywood macho, nor a feminine gay man but just an average-looking young guy. The other guy does look more cliché, but then he's the one who ends up in the closet, feeling guilty about being gay. The acting is superb throughout the film.

Someone commented that it's not all that funny. Well, it's true - coming out and breaking up with family or your lover are always painful, and I don't like films which ignore this side of the story. If you're deeply touched by Angelo's story, then it has performed the task such films, I think, are supposed to do: to make the audience more sensitive to gay people's issues. At the same time, though, it's pretty funny - just like your own coming out is often funny looking back. The confession scene is hilarious, and I laughed my heart out at the gay helpline scene - working for a GLBT helpline myself, I can assure you: this is just as distorted as the image of the Italian community. (We could use that scene for training purposes, though: what not to do...)

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