Mambo Italiano

Angelo wants to come out to his family, but they already drive him nuts with their old-world Italian values; can you imagine how they'd react? Angelo's boyfriend Nino, with whom he lives, is happy in their private little closet; he's not only Italian, he's a cop! Can their relationship survive? Can Angelo's sis keep their secret? Should she?

This gem of a film has been aptly compared to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding;" they share many themes and elements. MAMBO ITALIANO is every bit as good (if a bit more off-the-wall), a smidge more clever and two smidges funnier. There's absolutely no reason, from a quality standpoint, that it shouldn't have been just as much the sleeper hit "Wedding" was. It wasn't, of course, and we all know the reason why.

Needless to say, that's a shame, especially when audiences miss out on performances by actors like Paul Sorvino, who manages to raise the always-superb level of his work even a notch higher here, and is priceless in his scenes with Ginette Reno, who appears as his wife.

I really believe the day is not far off when another little picture like MAMBO will come along and break out just as "Wedding" did, overcoming in the process the cultural obstacle that kept predecessors from receiving their due.

In the meantime, it's very much worth our while to seek out all the MAMBO's we can at the indie houses and on video, and spread the word when we find them.

This very clever and fun little film has had more off-base reviews written about it than any film in history. Way too many reviewers react with horror at - gasp - stereotypical representations of Italians. They neglect the fact that in actual fact the Italian-ness is 100% of the charm and beauty of the film, and that not one of the Italians are not people we have all seen in real life. They also neglect the fact that Italian culture and tradition has seldom looked so good or as real as it does in "Mambo Italiano." The Italian sister is heroic in her actions, and the Italian parents who come around in he end are just like parents of ANY nationality. I really fail to see what all the squawking about "negative stereotypes" is all about.

As a Southerner and as a gay man I know something about stereotyping. All groups get stereotyped. This is not necessarily a bad thing, unless it is the ONLY representation of a group that society ever sees. We all need to see the true diversity of any group. I think we have all seen plenty of other Italians and gay persons now, so we don't have to worry that a viewer will see this movie and assume that all Italians and gay men are like the folks in "Mambo Italiano." But frankly, if they did, I think they would have rather positive images of Italians. Unfortunately they would leave the theater thinking that half of all gay men get married to women in order to hide the fact that they are gay. Luckily I suspect most folks know this is not the case, though it certainly does happen, since society still makes it impossible for some of us to stay in certain professions and be gay at the same time (cops, firemen, coaches, soldiers in the U.S., pro athletes...).

"Mambo Italiano" is hilarious and light-hearted. It is a big mistake to try to read too much into it. Just sit back, relax, and laugh. It is one heck of a clever, funny little film, with a surprise ending. Betcha can't guess how it ends!

Maybe it's because I come from Italian heritage that I find this film so funny. I honestly think I laughed out loud during this film one of the highest amounts I've ever belly-laughed during a movie. And you know how you laugh later on in a movie when nothing funny is going on because the thought of something hilarious that happened earlier is still stuck with you? Well that happened plenty of times to me here. I believe that it's because the Southern Italian and Sicilian in me both find fat Italian men to be perhaps the funniest group of people in the world. They are not simply funny because they know how to tell a joke, or they know how to pull off a good pratfall, but more because all you have to do is look at them, and they can make you burst out laughing. There is a scene where Paul Sorvino and Ginette Reno, whom I believe plays his wife, sit close together on a small bench in a cemetery facing the camera, and I suddenly started laughing. They look funny. They don't look weird. They just look like the first thing they say or do is going to make me laugh like a hyena.

Every scene for the first half of the film, literally every single one, contains something explosively funny to me, and they are mostly consisting of native Italians speaking rough English with thick Italian accents and fulfilling stereotypes of ardent cultural traditions. Hands down, the scenes that made me cackle so hard I thought my friend watching it with me was going to slap me for the unreasonable sound that can cause me to make were the scenes that depict what Italian families are like when the son moves out.

Mambo Italiano is also a surprise, because really it doesn't look that good. On the cover of the DVD case, you see a bunch of characters in some comical motion lined up across the cover, and you feel like you could pretty much guess completely what their service to the story is. Well, you'll be vaguely right, but if it wouldn't surprise you too much for me to say this at this point, it's a very poignant film about growing up as a homosexual surrounded by conflicting influences and pressure. The film will actually make you angry at society and the reality of what friends and family can end up doing to you in your life. But it's riotous fun.

I decided to see this film because I had nothing else to do. I wasn't expecting much more than gay stereotypes and ridiculous humor. However I discovered just the opposite.

I have heard comparisons to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", but the only similarity I see is in the stereotypical presentation of nationalities. However, these stereotypes aren't offensive, but more so delightful and some what sweet.

Angelo (Luke Kirby) is presented with just enough humor, but more so just enough heart that it makes the character beleiveable. For once gays are not presented as obnoxious drag queens or someone dying from AIDS. In fact, the two latter factions are not even present in the film. Instead it focuses on one mans humorous journey of self discovery in both relations to his family, partner, and his own sexuality.

At the end of the film, you leave feeling very happy. Sure everything turned out for the best in the end, but sometimes we need films like this to remind just how fun and quirky life can be at times.

I watched this film at the cinema last year, and I found it very funny. As an Italian-born male, sentences like " Italians move out either when they marry or when they die" made me really laugh, because this is partly true! Nevertheless, I think there's something which needs making clear. The characters and situations portrayed in the film are credible and hilarious insofar as they're set in the Italian communities of Canada, USA or Australia. I worked for 4 years in the export department of a company making Italian espresso coffee, thus getting in touch with lots of Italians who had settled in faraway countries many years ago. What I noticed is that most of them retain a picture of Italy and a system of values which were real in the country they left behind years ago, but look old-fashioned and rather over-the-top in today's Italy. I think it's undeniable that ethnic communities abroad are more conservative and traditional than the countries they came from, as they cling to values that, though being "frozen" for them, have evolved in the meantime. So some characters and situations of the film appear exaggerated if compared with Italians of 2005, but are really amusing if set in the context of the life of Italian immigrants, who represent what we used to be a few decades ago. A light comedy, to be enjoyed without taking ourselves too seriously.