American Cousins

I watched this movie for the first time on a flight back from Australia to Germany in early 2004. Living as a foreigner in a country I wasn't born in may have made me a little more susceptible to the story. And the fact that I spent three months in Scotland a couple of years ago also helped. Anyway, I liked the story a lot.

Mind you it is not without fault but not many films are. They are just as fallible as their creators I daresay. It is worth watching though and the cast (especially the late great Russell Hunter) delivered a most believable performance. If there are some stereotypical characters in the story - so what? Ever watched one of the so-called Hollywood blockbusters? That's what I call so stereotypical that it actually hurts my intellect just to think that I wasted my hard-earned money on that kind of rubbish.

I wish there were a lot more films like that one!

Mille grazie, Sergio.

A pleasant diversion from the mostly shallow and obnoxious gangster genre, American Cousins is a welcome script for wiseguy scenarios, injecting a surprising amount of tenderness and authenticity into the limited budget release. Taking place mainly in Scotland, the story revolves around two US mafioso's who end up having to stash away in this grey-splattered alternate universe, substituting guns and drugs with fish and chips. It is a charming little niche film that got a moderate amount of low-key critical praise, but will likely find a tough time among American markets. The whole Eurofellas vibe, while quite appealing to anyone looking for different angles to detail these types of characters, will largely go unnoticed by most organized crime fans from an emphasis focusing on the intimate and subtly amusing aspects of these hoodlums journey. Also, the heavy Scottish accents, paired with a somewhat bleak production should all but guarantee the movie need not appeal to the chief demographic it was made for on this side of the pond, which might be a good thing.

While the film may not be a hit for the Sopranos set (despite the extended cameo from Vincent Pastore), the gentle and impressively nuanced talent found in this heartfelt synthesis of writer, director and acting overrides most of the film's shoddy production. In turns funny, heartfelt, and vengeful, potency found within this mild hybrid becomes solidified by the great casting choices exemplified by the understated romanticism of lead Gerald Lepkowski and anchored by an always gruffly adorable Dan Hedaya. Do not let the generic cover art fool you, this is about as indie and subtle the gangster drama has veered.

actually i'd give it 7.5 out of 10, but IMDb don't do fractions.

its an unusual film. beautifully made, unformulaic, and as good as a rom-com as any. both leads are not your normal romantic leading types, but shirley henderson and gerald lepowskiw have good chemistry. henderson is a very underrated actress. somehow, film feels very nourish, probably because its set in Glasgow, Scotland.

the ending's somewhat rushed, but altogether pretty impressive for a debut.

not quite shallow grave or trainspotting, but i'd rather watch this than any of the blockbuster Hugh Grant vehicles from Working Title

I like the way this movie tackled the subject and how it played out on the screen.

While the two gangsters were very typical, cut from the same cloth one would expect them to be, and even willing to resolve problems the only way they knew how, still they were taught a valuable lesson. On the other hand, while yet maintaining their Italian roots, the 'cousins' were very much Irish and followed their own traditions and values. Following real life, sometimes the misguided perceptions of those outside of a group can be so pervasive, that even those belonging to that same group adopt those ideas about themselves. They then turn around and judge their peers within the group using the same measuring stick, wrong as it is. Anyone who strays away from that is looked at as strange or even worse ostracized. The 'stamp collecting' scene is one good example of this.

Otherwise the movie was good with competent acting. The subtlety of the emotions of the characters as they progressively learned more about themselves from their cousins was quite well done by the lead actors - even Dan Hedaya toned down some of the usual facial Dan Hedayaisms. While it was based on the same love triangle theme seen a jillion times before, it was done differently here and in a unique setting - at least to us North Americans. Check it out.

American Cousins was shown at the film festival market in Cannes, France, and went down a storm with the audience. Warm, funny, romantic, quirky, and a wonderful sound-track. The talk in the ladies' restroom afterward was why aren't there more movies like this; movies that make you feel good and leave you with a smile on your face.