1.5 out of 5 stars
Italy has been at the heart of the world's political, spiritual, and mythological conscience throughout human history. Two narratives that continue to fascinate people around the world about this nation center on tales of romance and the Mafia. Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke partner’s with her Miss You Already star, Toni Collette, for this latest comedy from southern Europe.
The Australian actress takes on the role of Kristin Balbano, a middle-aged marketing executive coping with her son leaving for university. On top of this stress, she is dealing with difficulties at work and within her marriage, and this is when she receives an unexpected call. Her grandfather’s secretary, Bianca (Monica Bellucci), calls to tell Kristin about the death of the patriarch of the Italian side of her family. Despite all the challenges at home and work, the family requests that she fly to Italy for the funeral. Kristin decides to honour this request by heading to Europe. Soon after meeting the family, she is informed that she has been chosen to be the head of the family businesses of winemaking and other assorted ventures in Calabria.
Like its central character, this film suffers from an identity crisis that causes the story to remain lost from the opening to the predictable conclusion. The screenplay must determine if this is meant to be a comedy, romance, crime drama, or a journey of self-discovery. Throughout this confusion, it would be easy to get lost in the beautiful backdrop of this engrossing portion of the world. Still, the cinematography cannot save this story. No one can argue that Toni Collette and Monica Bellucci are exceptionally talented actresses, but this pedestrian script would have been impossible for anyone to salvage.
One thing that might help before watching this film would be to consider drinking a few glasses of Italian wine. Not as a means of connecting with the roots of this story, but to numb yourself to the pain of seeing these gifted actresses in one of the year's worst films. Like the wine fermenting process that takes time and patience, this film will test the audience’s ability to persevere as it gets worse as each minute passes. The comedy falls short, the Italian stereotyping borders on the offensive, Mafia sharp-shooters who seem to be trained by Stormtroopers, and how could the production team allow these devoted Italians to drive Jaguars and Mercedes-Benz? I’m sure there is a proper Italian expression that can show how this is an anathema.
Mafia Mamma is an example of wasted opportunities. Beautiful country, rich heritage, talented cast, and an engaging premise were crushed like grapes into a poorly developed film that should be swimming with the fishes.
Reel Dialogue: What can we really know about courage?
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. - The Apostle Paul
One thing to be taken from this story is the courage Kristin needs to begin this journey of self-discovery. Understandably, viewers could see her choices as selfish. However, her desire to break free from her past life does become an integral part of her decision-making process.
More importantly, it opens the discussion of human courage's origin. A revolutionary thought could be that God plans for his creation to live courageously. The only stipulation is that we should live to his standard, not based on our preconceived notions. Many see the Bible as being a book of limitations and regulations. Instead, it could be considered an instruction book on getting the most out of life.
Have you taken the time to read life's instruction manual?
Here are a few passages to consider in the exploration of courage: Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 37:4, Psalm 90:12, Proverbs 27:1, Matthew 6:34, Philippians 4:13, John 10:10
The word becomes film
Russ Matthews' new book is a modern-day parable that introduces a radically easy way of talking about God’s story
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