Under New Management

I watched this movie recently and I really liked it. First of all, I watch movies for entertainment. So if you are also expecting a movie to be entertaining, then you will not regret this movie.

The plot is quite straightforward and has been treated very well. A hot shot wall street banker has his roots in Brooklyn's Italian mafia. When he steps into the don's shoes, he has to take the business legit according to a promise he made to his uncle. How he takes them legit forms the rest of the movie. Adding to the fun is that the mob is under FBI surveillance with of course a pretty FBI agent. How the two of them get together without crossing the line is nice to watch.

Wholesome fun. Go for it.

This new film intrigued us for we were not familiar with the actors, yet the plot looked interesting and in addition a 2009 movie shown the same year usually does not bode well and... I was plain curious what this was all about. There was a limited information on the film to begin on IMDb as if it was just completed days ago. The story is about the mob in Brooklyn and their need to convert to legitimacy to remain alive. When the big boss wants to retire and realizes that the old ways are over and that he is too old, he calls on his wall street well informed nephew to save the business albeit legally. The nephew never being part of the mob scene however ends up swearing to his uncle that he will be the new boss and that the old style gangster business will disappear and all the wise guys will learn the "honest" business of real estate. There is also the standard boy meets girl story here, where the girl is working for the FBI and her whole purpose is to get these gangsters and put them away. This leads to some interesting circumstances when she must deal with the nephew and he with her. First of all I am very delighted with director's work because there is no part of the movie where I would say that this is dumb or what were they thinking? The camera frequently shows Roebling's masterwork, the Brooklyn bridge- several times from a distance in it's full majesty. Considering how old it is and that it still is a vital part of the city's transportation amazes me. The film is shot all around the greater part of Brooklyn as far as I can interpret and the camera angles and scenes were impressive to say the least. We watched this film in High Definition on a large screen and fully appreciated that. The lighting on every scene was done well and the picture was crispy sharp. When the plot is good and the photography is too, one is on the way to a good film. The actors were mostly unknowns yet they didn't fail in their performance and the acting of all, was second to none!. Perhaps salary money was saved this way and channeled in other directions. There was little depth to the characters, yet one could still feel and root for them. The musical score was splendid and certain parts were very moving. I wondered several times who could possibly have composed this score? Everything blended well together with the story and with the addition of older standards, with known singers through out the film supplemented the composer's own work nicely. However I could not locate the composer's name, only his assistant was named..and a sound track is not available yet. Yes... the movie plot is predictable- yet that is fine with me because after it was over, I felt good and concluded that I had not wasted my time- as I had in watching other films, always hoping for something good. There are no review stars displayed as of yet and I seem to be the first. I trust my enthusiasm won't disappoint others when they watch it. There is language used here- so that must be mentioned. I watch a movie to escape from reality for a few hours and this movie did not fail.

Under New Management, a wonderful take on the Mafia genre, concerns a socially conscious Wall Street Yuppie named Robert Monte (played superbly by Chris Diamantopoulos) with ties to the mob. Raised by his uncle, a capo, because his own father was whacked, he honors said uncle's dying wish to reform his crew by helping them go legit and generate enough revenue to pay a mob debt, lest they all meet their demise. Robert forms a real-estate company and the wise guys turn into real-estate agents. On their road to legitimacy, they find it helpful to occasionally return to their mob roots when they need a little extra boost to pull something off. All this happens under the watchful eyes of a couple of FBI agents, one of whom is a beautiful, Irish woman played by Kelly Overton; her relationship with Monte forms a major subplot that keeps you wondering whether she wants to put Monte away for life or have his baby. The movie is a drama mostly played for laughs, and I found it brilliant and hysterical, with Monte continually comparing the Mafia to Wall Street: "Bernie Madoff made you guys look like shoplifters." What's so funny is how true his opinions are. When the gang grumbles about paying taxes, he points out to them, would you rather pay taxes or lawyers? Pay FICA or do prison time? A rich cast of pros (many you will recognize from forays on The Sopranos), supported by an intelligent script by Denis Hamill made this a winner for me. I don't plan on erasing it from my DVR anytime soon.

Stumbled onto this remarkable little film while channel surfing and couldn't stop watching. A beautifully shot film, excellent performances, and a cast you can't help but love. I don't recall seeing any ads for this film in the theaters, nor did I see any advertisement on the cable channels. I don't know why this film hasn't been promoted 'cause this film is brilliant. This is independent film making at its best. The cast consists of familiar but essentially unknown actors - but each and every role was perfectly played. The chemistry between all the players will make you want to know more - one of the reasons I came to IMDb looking for it - and you'll want to watch this movie more than once. I guaranty the two leads, Chris Diamontopoulis and Kelly Overton, will be big stars. Watch this film now on Showtime. You won't regret it.

I happened on this movie while surfing the cable movie channels and became intrigued because of the location. My son lives in Clinton Hills and much of the film is located near his apartment. After getting over being able to recognize many of the locations I settled into the body of the movie itself. It turns out this quirky mob vs. mob vs. FBI/ fated love story was pretty good. It covers all the permutations and combinations of Cosa Nostra territorial tensions, FBI related RICO investigations, young generation - older generation lifestyles and love between diverse cultures. It turns out it was certainly worth watching with credible acting performances by a relatively unknown cast. It just shows you what you can get for $1 million if you put your mind to it. I would be happy to watch it again.