Touchstone and Beyond: "Mafia"
Feature Presentation: Mafia
Cast of Characters
- Jay Mohr as Anthony Cortino
- Christina Applegate as Diane
- Lloyd Bridges as Vincenzo Cortino
- Billy Burke as Joey Cortino
- Olympia Dukakis as Sophia
- Jason Fuchs as Young Vincenzo Cortino
Elevator Pitch
Anthony Cortino is the son of mobster Don Cortino. After committing murder, he hides out in Vegas where managing a casino is fun, but the family business draws him back in.
When his father dies, and Anthony must assume the role of head of the family, he goes on a revenge spree that is bloody funny. His old girlfriend Diane is the president offers Anthony a chance at legitimacy but also allows him to reconnect with his lost love.
The Orson Welles Award of Brilliance
Lloyd Bridges is hilarious. His Don Cortino is a perfect mixture of silly, but also a nice chance for Bridges to be the funny goof character that he perfected in previous Abrahams films. It’s hard not to smile, no matter how silly the content is, with Lloyd Bridges involved.
The sight gags, the slapstick, and just the willingness to be stupid made me happy. Sometimes a film doesn’t have to change the world. Sometimes movies can be dumb comedies, and that is okay.
The Alan Smithee Award of Anonymity
Jay Mohr is great, but I think he is the weakest part of the film. They needed a stronger lead who could be ridiculous in order to sell the joke, and Mohr didn’t have it in him.
This film needed more Lloyd Bridges.
Production Team
- Directed by Jim Abrahams
- Produced by Touchstone Pictures / Tapestry Films
- Written by Jim Abrahams / Greg Norberg / Michael McManus
- Release Date: June 24, 1998
- Budget: $10 million
- Domestic Box Office Gross: $19,889,299
I Know Their Name
Andreas Katsulas as Don Narducci. Fans of Babylon 5 and The Fugitive will recognize him and never forget his presence on the screen.
Deep Dive Behind the Scenes
- Jason Fuchs was nominated for a Young Artist Award for his work on the picture.
- The movie was nominated for Golden Trailer award.
- Though the casino is set in Las Vegas, it was filmed in a casino in Reno.
- The film opened with a weekend gross of over $6.5 million.
- This was the last film that Lloyd Bridges shot before he passed away. The movie was released four months after the famed actor died.
- The film was dedicated to Lloyd Bridges’ memory.
- This was also the last film that director Jim Abrahams directed before his death in 2024.
- Apparently, the numerous jokes that malign Italian Americans had several Italian American groups protesting the premiere of the film.
- The film had originally been pitched as sequel to Airplane. It’s reported that Francis Ford Coppola killed the idea at Paramount.
- Sherman Helmsley and Isabel Sanford appear on screen as their characters from The Jeffersons. This was Sanford’s final screen appearance as Louise Jefferson.
- Alex Trebek makes a cameo in the film as himself.
- Roger Ebert gave the film two stars out of four, and admitted that he did laugh throughout the film, but unfairly (in my opinion) compared it to There’s Something About Mary.
Bill’s Spicy Take
A dumb comedy is more entertaining than a depressing art film.
Oscar Thoughts
(These rankings are awarded based on my love for Hitchcock films)
{Frenzy Award-Skip this Film, Torn Curtain Award-Desperate for Something to Watch, For the Birds-A Perfect Film for Any Device, Rear Window Award- You Must Watch This Film on a Big Screen because this film is cinema.}
Comedies can be difficult to categorize, but Mafia is not a high brow experience. It is meant to watch with ease, and to laugh at the stupidity of dumb jokes that are rapid fire in this movie. From the dialogue to the sight gags, to the end credits, Mafia is trying to be stupid, and that is okay.
The overall story is a nice mix of the classic Godfather with a little Forest Gump and eight million other clips from famous movies.
You won’t find the meaning of life in Mafia, but you will enjoy yourself. That’s why I am giving it the For the Birds Award. Mafia is the perfect film for any device.
Coming Attractions
Next week, a look back at Mumford.