Subscribers Only Content Area

Home

New Movies

All Movies

New Videos

All Videos

DVD

Search

(About Our Ads) "MAMBO ITALIANO" (2003) (Luke Kirby, Peter Miller) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate None Heavy Minor None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None None None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Mild Moderate Moderate Mild QUICK TAKE: Comedy: An aspiring TV writer must deal with the repercussions following his announcement to his conservative and traditional Italian parents that he's gay. PLOT: Angelo Barberini (LUKE KIRBY) is a 27-year-old Italian Canadian who rocks the family boat when he announces that he's moving out into his own place. His conservative and traditional parents, Maria (GINETTE RENO) and Gino (PAUL SORVINO), don't understand why he doesn't stay at home until he's married, but he needs to get out. They're happy, however, when his new roommate turns out to be Nino Paventi (PETER MILLER), a former childhood friend and current cop. What they or Nino's mom, Lina (MARY WALSH), don't know, however, is that the two are lovers. Angelo's live-at-home sister, Anna (CLAUDIA FERRI), knows that such news will kill their parents, but Angelo feels he must tell them. Once he does, however, he must deal with the repercussions from both families, as well as a straight woman, Pina Lunetti (SOPHIE LORAIN), putting the moves on Nino who's unsure of his sexual identity. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of someone in the cast or are interested in films featuring Italian families or gay characters, they just might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For language and sexual situations. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: LUKE KIRBY plays a gay travel agent who aspires to be a writer, but is afraid to tell his parents that he's gay. He has sex with Nino, drinks, uses strong profanity and has tense moments with his family. PETER MILLER plays a cop who doesn't want anyone to know he's gay despite being involved with Angelo, his former childhood friend. He has sex with him and Pina (separately), uses strong profanity and drinks. CLAUDIA FERRI plays Angelo's neurotic sister who still lives at home, takes Valium and uses strong profanity. GINETTE RENO and PAUL SORVINO play stereotypical caricatures of Italian parents who overreact and are upset with Angelo moving out and then telling them that he's gay. MARY WALSH plays Nino's condescending mom who isn't nice to Gino and Maria. She briefly uses strong profanity. SOPHIE LORAIN plays a straight woman who has sex with Nino and uses strong profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated comedy. Profanity consists of at least 25 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also used. Sexually related dialogue is present, while off-camera sex is heard, oral sex is implied, homosexual sex is suggested (and partially seen in sped-up silhouette), and some other fooling around occurs. Tense family material involves traditional parents adversely reacting to their son coming out of the closet, while other degrees of bad attitudes are present. Various characters slap others on the head (played for comedy), while one smokes, takes Valium and drinks (others do the latter as well). Some imitative behavior is also present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We see a quick shot of family members with wine at a graduation ceremony and later with a meal. Anna has wine. Nino has a beer. The family has wine with dinner. Anna takes Valium. Nino's cop partner Marco is restrained from going after a drunken guy. Nino opens some champagne. Anna takes more Valium. Miscellaneous people have drinks in a bar. Anna takes more Valium. People drink in a bar where Angelo has a drink in front of him. Anna and Angelo have martinis and he guzzles his. A gay hotline coordinator asks Angelo if he wants to go and get a beer. People have wine with dinner. Angelo drinks liquor from a bottle from which Anna then drinks. We hear that Angelo's parents bribed a priest with wine and a carton of cigarettes to use the confessional. BLOOD/GORE None. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE We see a flashback where some kids have taped young Angelo to a locker. In a flashback, we hear and see that young Nino stopped being Angelo's friend, as he didn't want to be associated with the un-cool kid at school. We hear that Angelo's new place was robbed. Anna uses the term "fag" about homosexuals and asks, "What, are you retarded?" Later, someone uses the term "homo." Gino and Paula are not understanding or supportive of Angelo once he tells them he's gay. Nino's straight cop partner uses the terms "fags" and "queers." He then says that if others "start talking queer about me" that he'll change partners. Pina uses the term "fag." Pina tears up a parking ticket left on her windshield. Nino cheats on Angelo with Pina and then tells Angelo he doesn't want to see him anymore (in front of their families). Angelo then lets everyone have it and lays verbal abuse on many of them (including telling his parents they have stupid, worthless lives). Nino's mom burns letters sent to him by Angelo (before Nino has seen them). Angelo isn't helpful to callers while working a gay phone hotline and even laughs at one man over his problem. FRIGHTENING SCENES Gino has some chest pains (very brief and nothing bad happens). GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "I am so f*cked," "This is f*cking brilliant," "F*ck yeah," "You're so f*cked up," "F*ck off," "What the f*ck /do you know about that/is going on here?" "You're a f*cking liar," "You can all go f*ck yourselves, you twisted m*therf*ckers," "F*ck up," "Jesus f*cking Christ," "Piece of sh*t," "It was sh*tty of me," "Oh sh*t," "You bitch" (seen in writing), "Bastard," "Your mother's a whore," "Balls" (testicles), "Idiots," "Get the hell out of here," "Freaking," "Chick" and "Broad" (woman), "Damn I'm good," "Shut up," "You got screwed" and "Why am I such a bitch?" We see a flashback of two boys placing a lit firecracker near young Anna to scare her. We see a flashback where some kids have taped young Angelo to a locker. Various characters make what are presumably insulting/derogatory hand gestures toward others. Pina tears up a parking ticket left on her windshield. A miscellaneous character has a tattoo. Nino litters with pieces of a torn up letter. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 25 "f" words (1 used with "mother"), 8 "s" words, 3 slang terms for sex (variations of "bang"), 1 slang term for breasts ("boobs"), 2 asses, 1 hell, 1 damn and 1 use each of "G-damn," "God," "Oh God," "Oh my God," "Jesus Christ" and "My God." Towards the end of the movie, 6 "f" words (2 used with "mother") are partially bleeped out. SEX/NUDITY We briefly see a couple making out on the street. As Angelo tells a flashback about his childhood, we hear sounds (moaning and bed squeaking) of Gino and Maria having sex. The joke is that their sex life calmed down over the years, so we first hear fast sexual sounds, then slower ones, then just one thrust with Maria telling Gino, "Get off of me" (We never see any part of them, but only hear the sounds). We see a flashback of a teenage Anna disappearing out of the shot to go down to a guy's crotch in a parked car (we see his expression and Angelo comments in voice over narration that her longstanding use of Popsicles paid off). Angelo and Nino (in the present and as adults) share a tent while camping. As we hear Angelo say (in voice over narration), "Did we reunite that night" (as friends and lovers), we see sped-up footage showing quick, silhouetted movement inside the tent (presumably of them having sex, but nothing explicit is noted). Nino, in just his underwear, approaches Angelo in bed, but stubs his toe. Angelo dances with a young woman who has her hand on his clothed butt. We see Nino and Angelo getting dressed after Anna apparently walked in on them (nothing explicit is seen). We see an imagined version of Angelo's writing featuring a pilot nuzzling on the neck of a woman who shows cleavage. There's dialogue about the "mile high" club as well as the co-pilot being with another woman elsewhere in the plane. We see Nino starting to undress to get in bed with Angelo (where they do some kissing). When Nino's mother says that her husband has been dead for 18 years, Gino jokingly infers that he can accommodate her, prompting her to say, "What I need, you can't offer." Gino and Paula tell Nino's mom that Nino is gay. That prompts her to ask, "My son is banging your Angelo?" The parents then argue about whose son is "banging" the other (played for comedy). A wife slaps her husband on the head for looking at a young woman who shows cleavage. We see a couple making out in a bar. We see a visualized version of Angelo's script about the Civil War where a woman shows cleavage and one woman asks another why she's carrying her lover's child. Lina shows some cleavage. Pina shows some cleavage. Pina says, "We made love" about her and Nino in a car. Nino and Pina kiss in a motel. He's shirtless and on top of her as she has her leg up along his side. She's in lingerie and the two kiss. Angelo isn't helpful to callers while working a gay phone hotline and even laughs at one man who states he can't get an erection due to hormones he's taking for a sex change operation. A woman (who knows of Nino's gay past) tells Pina that if he ever "asks you to strap on a dildo," to call her since she has quite a collection. Gino thinks he's talking to the priest in a confessional and comments that Maria won't let him touch her anymore. We briefly see Pina in her bra. SMOKING Anna smokes several times (and comments that she's getting some more), while a miscellaneous person also smokes. We hear that Angelo's parents bribed a priest with wine and a carton of cigarettes to use the confessional. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear (in a flashback) that Angelo's young aunt has died, but that's mostly played for comedy. Angelo's moving out and then announcing he's gay puts a strain on his relationship with his overbearing parents (but much of that's played for comedy). Nino's mother says that her husband has been dead for 18 years. We later see Lina crying at his grave. Maria cries about her niece's death (a long time ago) and about the way she's treated Angelo. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Being gay, coming out of the closet and telling family members. Dealing with critical and overbearing parents. Pursuing one's dreams. VIOLENCE Maria whacks Anna on the head in a motherly way, while another mother whacks her adult son on the head in a similar fashion. Angelo falls in a hole in the woods while portaging with Nino. Nino's mom slaps him in a motherly fashion. A wife slaps her husband on the head for looking at a young woman who shows cleavage. Anna smacks Angelo. Angelo grabs Pina's puffy hair to check if it's real. We see some miscellaneous family slapping and a person throws vegetables at another person. Reviewed September 22, 2003 / Posted October 3, 2003