dir. Catherine Hardwicke
As her son departs for college and she discovers her husband’s been having an affair, Kristen (Toni Collette) decides something needs to change. She learns her estranged grandfather has died and travels to Italy for the funeral, only to discover his wish that Kristen take over his mafia empire. Hijinks, predictably, ensue. Though Mafia Mamma earns half a point for the occasional, brief foray into actual violence and gore, the movie largely plays it frustratingly safe. Toni Collette is all wide eyes and girly shrieks as she stumbles around accidentally outwitting her opponents. The script seems to think humour is best achieved by drilling repetitive phrases into the audience’s heads until they’re begging for mercy – by the hundredth reference to Eat, Pray, Love it starts to feel like Mafia Mamma was simply an advert for it all along. Vague attempts to circumvent cliché around Kristen’s romantic life are completely undermined when the film relies on tired tropes like a sassy black best friend and chauvinistic corporate bigwigs. Mafia Mamma is simultaneously utterly ridiculous and typically mundane, and it’s hard to understand why an acting heavyweight like Toni Collette would ever have gone anywhere near it.
BMDb 