Mobsters and Mormons

It was one big old culture shock for Mark DeCarlo and his family in Mobsters and Mormons. The cheerful hit-man who has run afoul of his former associates is now in witness protection. But what a place they've relocated him to. A small town in Utah where 98% of the populace is of the LDS church. The man just can't relate to those folks although at least one neighboring family headed by Scott Christopher does their best to make him feel at home.

These folks operate on a whole set of different values than DeCarlo's been brought up to believe. And poor DeCarlo can't get a decent pizza and his craving for real coffee nearly gets him and his family killed.

It's an interesting idea for a comedy, but sadly lacking verisimilitude. Witness protection has had almost as many failures as successes. The most notable example of that was Sammy 'the Bull' Gravano who while in witness protection got involved in a few local rackets of his own creation. Those folks don't think like most of us relatively normal gentiles let alone those of the LDS faith. It's a gulf of the minds I think is almost impossible to cross.

Still Mobsters And Mormons has a few good moments, my favorite is DeCarlo giving some young kids the gangland New Jersey version of the Three Little Pigs. I wish the film had more moments like those.

This movie was not just entertaining and funny; it had a surprisingly good message around the theme of not judging others. The soundtrack and opening sequence were surprisingly of a professional quality. And Mark DeCarlo's rendition/version of the kids' story "The Three Little Pigs" was completely hilarious. Jan Broberg Felt, who plays a stuck on herself Mormon gossip, is a great actress. Mark DeCarlo by far carries the acting and humor, but the other supporting actors complement him well. I was especially impressed by Clayton Taylor and the girl (cannot remember her name) who plays his "love" interest. They play their parts convincingly.

My only complaint for the movie was that the pacing in the storyline seemed off at times. Other than that, it was very well done.

I think someone has found a happy medium in the LDS genre--a movie that's not over-cooked or under-done; it's just about right.

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 *****

I thought it was a great film... Check your gun in at the door. Where else can you find the Goomba's laughing out loud with the Mormon's ? HaleStorm and John Moyer have a winner with this one. If you enjoyed "The Singles Ward" or "The RM" Mark DeCarlo did a super job as BEANS seeing things through his eyes was a trip . This is a film the whole family can enjoy.

Its all about the FAMILY! You will truly have a good laugh with "Mobsters And Mormons" I think this is the only Mobster movie that has ever come out with a PG rating.

Now thats funny!!!!! Dis here movie could save yous from a cement canoe ride!

Go see the film.

Mark DeCarlo was excellent as Carmine "The Beans" Pasquale. My whole family loved this humorous movie, from my 9 year old on up. We laughed throughout the whole film. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone in need of a good laugh. The rest of the cast was delightful. Jeanette Puhich, in her role as Mrs. Pasquale , reminded me of "Guys and Dolls". She and Mark did an excellent job of poking fun of at the stereotype of the mob. It's also good to see that the Latter Day Saint population can also poke fun at themselves. Speaking as a member of the church, this movie probably appeals more to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints because we can see how silly we are sometimes. There was a similar movie made earlier with Steve Martin as a mobster in the witness protection program. I love Steve Martin, but Mobsters and Mormons did a much better job. This movie was great!