Mafia Mamma

This high-concept romp demands an over-the-top and facile narrative, and some of the bits are a bit hackneyed, but Mafia Mamma is much more wacky, funny and violent than the too-tame trailers would have you believe. Collette goes for broke in her performance and Hardwicke juggles the tone, style and genre play with ease.

While it might've been nice for Mafia Mamma to reveal more details about Kristin's ascension as a mob boss, its humor and Collette's performance make it a solid ride anyway.

Despite some satisfying moments, by the increasingly cringe-worthy last third of the movie you’re just annoyed that it seems to want to cover all bases — to have its, er, cannoli and eat it, too.

While Hardwicke’s direction is slick across picturesque Italian locations and various high-octane set pieces that are shockingly bloody, there isn’t a lot she can do to rescue Collette’s fish-out-of-water protagonist from a lackluster mafia comedy with romantic undertones.

The execution struggles from the outset to find a sustainable comedic pitch.

Run, don’t walk, away from any temptation you might have to see the off-putting, unfunny, clunky and cartoonishly terrible would-be mob comedy “Mafia Mamma,” which is so lacking in subtlety, cohesion and humor, it makes “Murder Mystery 2” seem like a Rian Johnson thriller.

Trite, charmless and entirely without grace, Mafia Mamma weaves a wearying string of Mob chestnuts into a shallow empowerment narrative.

IN A NUTSHELL: While film critics are hating this movie, ranking it as low as 20% on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences are enjoying the performances and goofy story, awarding it a score of 67%. It was directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and written by J. Michael Feldman and Debbie Jhoon. The story is about an American mother who inherits her grandfather’s mafia empire in Italy when he is killed by another mobster fighting over turf. When she discovers she is in over her head, she is guided by the mafia’s consigliere as she defies everyone’s expectations as the new head of the family business. THINGS I LIKED: Toni Collette has proven before that she can equally do drama, horror, and comedy. The humor and action in this script must have tickled her funny bone…or maybe it was the free trip to Italy and countless bottles of wine and spoonfuls of delicious gelato that convinced her to accept the script. I mean, who wouldn’t want to do a movie in awesome Italy? She does a great job as a fish out of water, and seems to be truly having fun with the role. She also helped produce the movie. Also starring in the movie are Monica Bellucci, Sophia Nomvete, Giulio Corso, Francesco Mastroianni, Alfonso Perugini, Eduardo Scarpetta, Tim Daish, and Tommy Rodger. We get to travel to beautiful Italy, of course! There is a lot of physical and spoken humor. Many women will appreciate the story that features a woman not putting up with infidelity, dismissive colleagues, and a second-rate life. It’s empowering to watch a woman embrace her inner strengths and create a new life where she is valued and can contribute to some good in the world. THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE: The humor is silly and often cringeworthy, which should make for a harmless comedy, yet there is also violence with blood and gore that doesn’t quite match the tone. It kind of plays as a parody There is a vulgar reference to the book and movie Eat, Pray, Love that is repeated many times that is supposed to make us laugh. It doesn’t. Italians will probably be offended by the way they’re represented in the film. TIPS FOR PARENTS: Lots of crude conversations So many sexual references We see a man behind a woman… An attempted **** Profanity, including many F-bombs A woman vomits. Gross We see bloody body parts during brutal deaths. Violence A man farts. Lots and lots of wine.

I did not have high expectations for it but actually ended up quite enjoying the movie. Certainly do not think it should be rated so low like here.

Toni Collette was awesome in this. The rest of the acting was very scattered and uneven, the shootout scenes were some of the worst I've seen in a while. But it maintains its charm and easy tone throughout.

What a casting misfire! Ana de Armas could have made this movie almost enjoyable.

There's no question that Toni Collette is an immensely talented actor, but this performance won't boost her rep. She plays a regular mom who travels to Italy for her grandfather's funeral, only to discover that he's left her in charge of his mafia operations. The concept has potential and director Catherine Hardwicke has thrown as much comic energy as she can muster. However, the script simply isn't funny and the characters aren't quirky enough to generate laughs. Collette's performance is non-stop frantic, desperately trying to make comedy, but her efforts fall flat…just like the whole film.