Mambo Café

Not sure what the makers were planning - but they weren't going for any deep comments on the position of hispanics in modern America.

This is lightweight to the extreme - but on its own terms quite enjoyable.

Even my wife (who is a MASSIVE fan of Thalia) felt the film was disappointing.

Nydia (Thalia), a student at Boston University, comes home to Spanish Harlem between semesters. Her mother and father own the small Mambo Cafe where business is slow. To give their restaurant a higher profile, the owners invite a mobster to the restaurant. Their hope is that he will be rubbed out in their establishment and that the notoriety will improve their cash flow. Meanwhile, Nydia thinks she's in love with a snooty college student, even though handsome homeboy Manny holds her in high esteem. Will the family's plans succeed?

This movie invites viewers to enjoy a good laugh and a good feeling, even considering the darker elements of the plot. The restaurant's owners are a hard-working duo with plenty of charm and grit. Likewise, Thalia is utterly beautiful and enthralling as the daughter with man trouble. Then, too, the setting allows the viewer to experience an environment that may be different from his or her own. Recommended for romantic comedy fans and comedy fans in general. A fun evening of entertainment awaits those who seek it out at the video store or library.

The theme of this movie could be interesting because I don't think there are a lot of light comedies using the scenario of the latin people living in New York. The story could be potentially funny, but in this case they try it too hard and simply don't make it happen. The acting doesn't help either, Thalia is just awful trying to portray a puertorrican from the Bronx, when she barely knows how to speak English(the accent and slang are so fake). I think it could have MAYBE worked better if they had cast someone like J. Lopez or any other latin actress.

Right from the beginning I was lolling. That made it really uncomfortable because the rest of the people in the room were dead silent, and the embarrassment made me laugh even harder. Whether this movie warrants hyena-like laughter, I don't know. But it sure was an entertaining evening.

This movie has a quirky style that has to hit you just right for you to appreciate it. At times it borders on absurdist comedy (Airplane, Monty Python) but doesn't quite go all the way, instead striking a delicate balance between real & ridiculous. For example, the movie opens at a restaurant that's so desolate, their only "customer" is a homeless guy getting a freebie. Outside, tumbleweeds blow by. Tumbleweeds in New York City, c'mon that's hilarious! We soon realize that this film is very much tongue-in-cheek, and truly nothing is to be taken seriously. Though subtle, the movie is full of satire, like when a yuppie family walks into the restaurant in Spanish Harlem, and the yuppie mother says to the kid: "you see, foreigners like to wear colorful things on their heads because they worship different gods."

Funny stuff, I'm tellin ya. And we haven't even gotten to the part where Danny Aiello makes his appearance as Joe the ruthless mafia boss who inexplicably breaks into song every 15 minutes. Each & every character is so memorably wacky you gotta love em, from the gorgeous Nydia (Thalía) to her spastic father (Paul Rodriguez), and even the painfully repulsive mobster (perfectly played by Robert Costanzo) who becomes the center of a crazy, morbid scheme to attract business to the failing restaurant. If you go into this movie with the intent to laugh & have a good time, I think you definitely will.

About the only good thing about this film is that it has apparently put an end to Thalia acting career. You might think that anything Paul Rodriguez and Danny Aiello are in on can't be all bad, but this one comes close. I fast forwarded through over half the movie, and I still didn't miss anything (except maybe the chance to see a good film). An intriguing premise falls apart under the weight of a witless script and wooden performances. Just say no.