Mobsters and Mormons (2005)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

John E. Moyer

Writer:

John E. Moyer (writer)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The only thing they had in common. . . was the family.

Plot:

A mafia family from New Jersey is placed in the witness relocation program to an all-Mormon community in Utah.

Cast

Mark DeCarlo	...	Carmine "The Beans" Pasquale (George Cheeseman)
Jeanette Puhich	...	Gina Pasquale (Linda Cheeseman)
Clayton Taylor	...	Vincent Pasquale (Patrick Cheeseman)
Scott Christopher	...	Michael Jaymes
Britani Bateman	...	Kate Jaymes
Olesya Rulin	...	Julie Jaymes
Jan Broberg Felt	...	Louise Means
John E. Moyer	...	Agent Tuttle
Michael Kagan	...	Angello Marcello
Jay Acovone	...	Jackie
Joe Maruzzo	...	Little Nicky
Frank Gerrish	...	Rocco
Dan Larsen	...	President Perry
Nathan Smith Jones	...	Agent Banks
Alex Nibley	...	Ryan (the neighbor)

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild thematic elements, some language and violence.

Runtime:

USA:90 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Springville, Utah, USA

Trivia:

Britani Bateman was actually pregnant during filming. The part, originally written for her, had to be rewritten to include her pregnancy in the film.

Quotes:

Carmine "The Beans" Pasquale: It's rap music these days. Have you heard the names? Puff Daddy...
Vincent Pasquale: He changed it to P. Diddy for short.
Carmine "The Beans" Pasquale: Oh, yeah, like it takes all day to say "Puff".

Movie Connections:

References "Survivor" (2000)

Good Movie That Appeals to Everyone

I'll admit that the title might incline people to place it in the category of those other Mormon movies that are kind of preachy and just for Mormons. But as the saying goes: "Don't judge a book by its cover" and all that jazz.

I went into this film with some of my family from Utah and with a dreading attitude. I was expecting there to be 2,000 jokes I wouldn't get and that only those involved deeply in the Mormon church would get...I was wrong.

As the movie starts we're introduced to Carmine, an ambitious Italian-American mobster who is climbing the crime ladder of success until the Feds finally get some dirt on him and bring him in. In the process, he cuts a deal with them, rats a few people out, and him, his wife and teenage son are put in the Witness Protection Program and sent to a model Mormon Utah neighborhood as the "Cheesemans."

And with this culture some enjoyable comedy follows as Carmine's family adjusts to the way things are run: Carmine can't get a decent cup of coffee or grasp the fact that Mormons don't drink or "have fun"; his son steals a Mormon minister's satellite dish, and goes out for wrestling, thinking that it's mandatory to whack the other guy in the face; and his wife makes the mistake of ordering a pizza with pineapple which results in Carmine leaving to go eat somewhere else and her downing an entire bottle of wine and passing out.

I found myself laughing at a lot of the jokes, even though they played on Mormon, Christian, and Italian-American stereotypes. This movie doesn't just appeal to Mormons or Christians, it can be enjoyed by almost anyone.

So overall, a good comedy for the whole family. A little cheesy at times, but very enjoyable and comes out on top with a good message. If it comes to a theater near you, check it out. *** out of *****