Un pourri au paradis

I saw this movie not long after its release in August,1990. It was a rather important and memorable part of my young life:I was getting ready to move off to college(among other things)and was needing a little distraction. Since I fancied myself as a Steve MArtin fanatic(still kinda do),I felt like I HAD to see this. While I would've never--not then,probably not now,either--thought this to be anything of great work,it's still a blissfully wonderful comedy.

You might be able to take Vincent "Vinnie" Antonelli(Steve Martin,full-tilt commitment to the role)out of organized crime and the big city,but you cannot take the organized crime or big city out of Vinnie,as he frequently goes astray of the law in his witness relocation in a quiet desert community outside of San Diego. The fed assigned him Barney Coopersmith(Rick Moranis,mensch)seems to be woefully unable to keep a leash on his charge,but it's alright because while Vinnie may not sit still in protective custody,he's got a big heart for those around him keeping him out of prison. Naturally,while Vinnie may not be always above board about his actions,he's still pretty good on his word and intentions.

Easy,breezy comedy directed by the late Herbert Ross and penned by Nora Ephron(who seems to be a much better screenwriter than director),it's a film that is as light as air on a subject not normally broached in this manner(even Analyze This! and its sequel,Analyze That! still had a somewhat heavy air in them,albeit still largely tongue-in-cheek). Credit the deft and intentional script and the intensely likable interplay between Martin and Moranis(not to mention the potential love relationship/tension brought on by Joan Cusack as a divorced mom and zealous local DA)for this fact.

I saw this again recently having bought this on a "Two-fer" disc that was paired with The Man With Two Brains. While I bought the disc primarily to watch THAT film,this add-on was not only a good re-watch(or even,come to think about it,re-re-watch)but brought back a long,pleasant memory or two of film-going.

I see where some people did not much care for this movie. That's the way it is with comedies. Not everyone has the same sense of humor.

I liked it.

I found Martin's character to be very entertaining. His constant stream of BS is very entertaining. I know it's comedy, so I am not like those people who felt a more traditional gangster actor would have been better. It's his very silly over the top style which I found endearing.

Moranis is OK. He's too typecast for me, always playing a similar role. I thought he was maybe funnier in ghost busters. I don't know. He's a decent actor. It's that whole square role he plays that gets to me a bit. He's supposed to be boring, obviously. But he's maybe too boring.

I found the female cop love interest for Martin to be great. She's cute and she's funny.

Joan Cusack...I have liked her better in other roles. She's hilarious in Grosse Pointe Blank. She's OK in this role.

I liked the silent film style "captions, or whatever you would call them a lot. They added humor to the movie.

In summary, I found the movie very light, very entertaining, and cute. I like that type of movie. If you want something that requires no thought, where your goal as a viewer is just to relax and be amused, this is perfect.

I just watched Blue Heaven and I thought that it was a nice sweet comedy with two of my favorite comedians: Steve Martin and Rick Moranis. They make such a great duo and you can tell that they really enjoy each other's presence. This is the only Steve Martin movie my mom didn't have, so I had to rent it. But I was excited to see Steve Martin as a tough Italin mobster, so I couldn't resist the rental.

My Blue Heaven is about a man, Vinny, aka, Todd, and he's about to go on trial to rat out some Mafia members, but he must be protected from hit men, so that's where Rick's character comes in. He must take care of Vinny and make sure that he isn't arrested or injured, but that's going to be hard since Vinny keeps getting into trouble with the D.A. played by Joan Cussack. Vinny also thinks it's a good idea that she and Rick get together and they do. But Joan is going to try her best to get Vinny busted.

It's predictable, but it is a very adorable movie that I think any Steve Martin fan could appreciate. The cast was great and the story was very funny, I thought it was so cool that it was slightly based on Henry Hill's(who you probably remember from Goodfellas) life. Rick and Steve are just great and I think you'll enjoy this movie.

6/10

This film went completely under the radar in 1990 and it isn't all that bad. Steve Martin hams it up as Vinnie, a mob informant under the Witness protection program, Rick Moranis is the FBI agent assigned to protect him, and Joan Cusack plays Moranis' love interest/Vinnie's enemy as the DA of the suburban town Martin has been relocated to. These three are the best part of the movie. There are definite plot holes, the script gives Martin a couple of one liners but is weak in general, and nothing else really stands out about this movie. WHat made it worth while to watch is the great chemistry between the three leads. Martin gives it his all and is very funny. Moranis has it tougher while trying to be a nerd/FBI agent(unusual combo) but he pulls it off. His face is so expressive its like you can see what he is thinking. This makes the scenes where Martin is making him do something crazy that much better. All in all, its not great but its worth watching with your kids because they will love it and you will be entertained.

Steve Martin is a mobster turned informant in the U.S. Witness Protection Program, but his dishonest habits are hard to break in this clever little comedy. Director Herbert Ross uses a smart screenplay, talented performers, and a great premise to make "My Blue Heaven" work a lot better than most films of its genre. Rick Moranis is the FBI agent who tries to protect Martin from mafia hitmen and more dangerously himself. Joan Cusack is priceless as a local district attorney who wants to get Martin for every little offense he commits while awaiting his court date to testify. William Hickey is also good as one of Martin's shady friends. A good little film overall. 3.5 out of 5 stars.