User reviews

I decided to see this film because I had nothing else to do. I wasn't expecting much more than gay stereotypes and ridiculous humor. However I discovered just the opposite.

I have heard comparisons to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", but the only similarity I see is in the stereotypical presentation of nationalities. However, these stereotypes aren't offensive, but more so delightful and some what sweet.

Angelo (Luke Kirby) is presented with just enough humor, but more so just enough heart that it makes the character beleiveable. For once gays are not presented as obnoxious drag queens or someone dying from AIDS. In fact, the two latter factions are not even present in the film. Instead it focuses on one mans humorous journey of self discovery in both relations to his family, partner, and his own sexuality.

At the end of the film, you leave feeling very happy. Sure everything turned out for the best in the end, but sometimes we need films like this to remind just how fun and quirky life can be at times.

I watched this film at the cinema last year, and I found it very funny. As an Italian-born male, sentences like " Italians move out either when they marry or when they die" made me really laugh, because this is partly true! Nevertheless, I think there's something which needs making clear. The characters and situations portrayed in the film are credible and hilarious insofar as they're set in the Italian communities of Canada, USA or Australia. I worked for 4 years in the export department of a company making Italian espresso coffee, thus getting in touch with lots of Italians who had settled in faraway countries many years ago. What I noticed is that most of them retain a picture of Italy and a system of values which were real in the country they left behind years ago, but look old-fashioned and rather over-the-top in today's Italy. I think it's undeniable that ethnic communities abroad are more conservative and traditional than the countries they came from, as they cling to values that, though being "frozen" for them, have evolved in the meantime. So some characters and situations of the film appear exaggerated if compared with Italians of 2005, but are really amusing if set in the context of the life of Italian immigrants, who represent what we used to be a few decades ago. A light comedy, to be enjoyed without taking ourselves too seriously.

Maybe it's because I come from Italian heritage that I find this film so funny. I honestly think I laughed out loud during this film one of the highest amounts I've ever belly-laughed during a movie. And you know how you laugh later on in a movie when nothing funny is going on because the thought of something hilarious that happened earlier is still stuck with you? Well that happened plenty of times to me here. I believe that it's because the Southern Italian and Sicilian in me both find fat Italian men to be perhaps the funniest group of people in the world. They are not simply funny because they know how to tell a joke, or they know how to pull off a good pratfall, but more because all you have to do is look at them, and they can make you burst out laughing. There is a scene where Paul Sorvino and Ginette Reno, whom I believe plays his wife, sit close together on a small bench in a cemetery facing the camera, and I suddenly started laughing. They look funny. They don't look weird. They just look like the first thing they say or do is going to make me laugh like a hyena.

Every scene for the first half of the film, literally every single one, contains something explosively funny to me, and they are mostly consisting of native Italians speaking rough English with thick Italian accents and fulfilling stereotypes of ardent cultural traditions. Hands down, the scenes that made me cackle so hard I thought my friend watching it with me was going to slap me for the unreasonable sound that can cause me to make were the scenes that depict what Italian families are like when the son moves out.

Mambo Italiano is also a surprise, because really it doesn't look that good. On the cover of the DVD case, you see a bunch of characters in some comical motion lined up across the cover, and you feel like you could pretty much guess completely what their service to the story is. Well, you'll be vaguely right, but if it wouldn't surprise you too much for me to say this at this point, it's a very poignant film about growing up as a homosexual surrounded by conflicting influences and pressure. The film will actually make you angry at society and the reality of what friends and family can end up doing to you in your life. But it's riotous fun.

This film is about a second generation Italian immigrant having to come to terms with the drastic consequences of coming out of the closet.

This film is unlike any other film I have seen. It is very fast paced, each subplot don't last for more than 1 minute. There is a lot of self narrative. It also shows intersecting events and scenes of relevant characters, which is unusual for a comedy.

The sets are visually rich and appealing, and are always colourful and carefully constructed. The character development is great, and we care about the characters in the film. The script is excellent. The neurotic sister is hilarious. The arguments of the parents are very lively and funny, and are entertaining to watch. The costumes are nice and trendy, but not over the top.

In summary, this film is a lot of fun, very entertaining, humorous, visually appealing, and there is something for everyone! The only gay scene is a half a second kiss, which certainly will not hinder its crossover appeal to the mainstream. This film deserves more recognition than it gets!

This very clever and fun little film has had more off-base reviews written about it than any film in history. Way too many reviewers react with horror at - gasp - stereotypical representations of Italians. They neglect the fact that in actual fact the Italian-ness is 100% of the charm and beauty of the film, and that not one of the Italians are not people we have all seen in real life. They also neglect the fact that Italian culture and tradition has seldom looked so good or as real as it does in "Mambo Italiano." The Italian sister is heroic in her actions, and the Italian parents who come around in he end are just like parents of ANY nationality. I really fail to see what all the squawking about "negative stereotypes" is all about.

As a Southerner and as a gay man I know something about stereotyping. All groups get stereotyped. This is not necessarily a bad thing, unless it is the ONLY representation of a group that society ever sees. We all need to see the true diversity of any group. I think we have all seen plenty of other Italians and gay persons now, so we don't have to worry that a viewer will see this movie and assume that all Italians and gay men are like the folks in "Mambo Italiano." But frankly, if they did, I think they would have rather positive images of Italians. Unfortunately they would leave the theater thinking that half of all gay men get married to women in order to hide the fact that they are gay. Luckily I suspect most folks know this is not the case, though it certainly does happen, since society still makes it impossible for some of us to stay in certain professions and be gay at the same time (cops, firemen, coaches, soldiers in the U.S., pro athletes...).

"Mambo Italiano" is hilarious and light-hearted. It is a big mistake to try to read too much into it. Just sit back, relax, and laugh. It is one heck of a clever, funny little film, with a surprise ending. Betcha can't guess how it ends!

Unlike some other commentators, I knew nothing about this film except it's a comedy about gay men. So I didn't expect much, but got all the more! First of all, I was glad to see that the main character was neither the classic handsome Hollywood macho, nor a feminine gay man but just an average-looking young guy. The other guy does look more cliché, but then he's the one who ends up in the closet, feeling guilty about being gay. The acting is superb throughout the film.

Someone commented that it's not all that funny. Well, it's true - coming out and breaking up with family or your lover are always painful, and I don't like films which ignore this side of the story. If you're deeply touched by Angelo's story, then it has performed the task such films, I think, are supposed to do: to make the audience more sensitive to gay people's issues. At the same time, though, it's pretty funny - just like your own coming out is often funny looking back. The confession scene is hilarious, and I laughed my heart out at the gay helpline scene - working for a GLBT helpline myself, I can assure you: this is just as distorted as the image of the Italian community. (We could use that scene for training purposes, though: what not to do...)

Well, ten years and finally got this movie. It's really refreshing to enjoy such a great gay romantic comedy. Well acted, great script, and a very interesting story. Bringing up Italian culture, I'm not Italian, but it's just something new and fresh and just great.

I like every character development. And love every funny parts. It's been awhile since I had found gay romantic comedy like "Birdcage".

I read some review and discussion about the "more appropriate" ending. I have to say, this time, on this movie, it wasn't really bother me. I mean, sometimes when the ending too rough to be true or too good to be true, emotion get involved easily. It didn't happen this time, in a good way.

I don't want to be sentimental, after watched this movie, I though that a happy ending always find it's own way.

I wish I could I could have enjoyed this film as much as some other commenters have. I wish I could have dredged some small measure of enjoyment from it.

I didn't. I hated it. It is full of cliches and stereotypes. Overacting seems to have been encouraged, maybe to distract from the feeble plot. I didn't care about any of the characters in this movie. I drew no insights into the human condition. I laughed not once and chuckled only a few times.

Coming in at about 92 minutes, this movie seemed interminable.

This one deserves a big slap to the back of the head.

A hilariously funny and thoughtful movie!

Gay guys lovers both in repressive families face the pressures of "coming out". Can they survive or will one with a dominating mother and job as a cop be forced to live a lie and the life of a straight?

Scene after scene is highly entertaining. The movie has an excellent script, is beautifully filmed and deserves top marks.

The family of the guys give first class performances as do all the players and there are so many super scenes, my favorite is when one of the guys tries to assist on a gay helpline.

On a more serious note-can only speculate the number of gays, male and female, forced through homophobia and pressure to be in relationships they don't want.

10 out of 10.

I saw the play and hoped that the movie adaptation could be no worse. I was wrong. The main problem with the play and the movie is that it can't decide what period it's depicting. Had it been rooted in the post-war Italian immigration, with the main character growing up in the sixties and coming of age in the seventies, all of this might be more believable. But having it set in present-day Montreal? Not on your life! Paul Servino gives the only credible performance. Ms.Reno loses what I take is supposed to be an Italian accent half-way through the film. Mary Walsh is hopeless from the beginning; I'm still not sure what accent she thought she was doing. Claudia Ferri, playing Anna Barberini, speaks with an Hispanic accent (Why would her character have any accent? She was born in Canada!)Peter Miller, as Nino, is supposed to look good and look conflicted. He does the former well and the latter tolerably well. The lead character of Angelo had been re-written to make him more likeable to a movie audience. This attempt is more or less a success considering how odious the character is in the play. No one will come away from this movie with a single prejudice challenged thereby guaranteeing its success. I'm surprised that the Mafia was not included in a more obvious way. I am a gay Canadian of Italian descent: I squirmed in my seat watching this minstrel show of stereotypes.

I liked the movie for its real (though maybe enhanced for comedic value) portrayal of the complexities and dynamics surrounding homosexuality within a cultural/ethnic setting.

This movie could resonate just as well in any cultural setting because the underlying dynamics are similar. Sure, the script isn't great or the plot isn't outstanding, but the movie is funny, entertaining and strikes a personal chord with me.

I also found the colours to be very vivid and fresh, which added a nice visual effect to the entire movie. Overall, the comparisons to "Big Fat Greek Wedding" are valid and I can see how this is being portrayed as the gay version of that movie.

My wife convinced me to go along with her to see this as we'd seen everything else currently showing (including sitting through Open Water, expecting it to pick up at any point).

There had been no theatre advertising or trailers for the movie, and for the first time ever, (this was quite funny), we got a 200 seat screen to ourselves.

Not being particularly interested in the subject matter gave me low expectations, but I was proven wrong. The acting was only fair, but somehow seemed to fit the character of the movie. The script was only fair too, but the occasional humour made up for it. However, the sets and costumes were amazing. Colour everywhere, from crazy wallpaper, to the sister's garish frocks, to the son's variety of flowery shirts.

So, put aside any thoughts of an epic, and enjoy a movie with more fun than you might expect, and maybe claim a movie screen to yourself too

:-)

Coming out in this type of conservative family is probably very hard to do, so when Angelo tells his parents he is gay, they take it badly, as one could probably have thought. This is not a dysfunctional home, in the traditional sense, but like most families facing this situation, they can't believe they have produced a son that is "uomosessuale".

This light comedy is a funny approach to what happens when the unexpected occurs. The interplay between the two different cultures in the Italian-Canadian community setting could not be more true about the movie tries to deal with. The most important point the film makes is that Angelo, by coming out, is a much better person than Nino, who will probably go through life living a double life and being miserable in both worlds.

This comedy is good for carefree laughs. Director Emile Gaudreault keeps things moving quickly. The cast is very good.

This is the one film of the year I would recommend to anyone who wants a good laugh. Ignore the po-faced people who did not enjoy it and prepare yourself for an over-the-top stereotypical portrayal of "chaotic yet serene" ethnics in the wrong province in the wrong country. It is well-scripted and well-edited and the timing of the actors and director never fails. If you want to find out about real gay life or Italian Quebeckers, this is not the film to see; it is just an excellent comedy with plenty of gems - and good comedies are few and far between nowadays.

Perhaps this movie rated higher than the 7/10 I gave it in terms of its overall humor. But you can only take these jokes so far. Great costumes, mostly well acted (if over-the-top acting is your thing). A light comedy and a bit pointless, aside from wanting to have a fun time, and aside from the provoked melodrama. Why would you want to see this movie...well, it would work well before or after watching Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, for example. It's only 89 minutes, so you won't really be wasting an entire evening if you don't like it. The gay theme isn't over the top and one of the guys gets "fixed" so the Project Exodus folks will be wetting their pants over this one (until he goes into a bar "just to have a drink").

I saw a preview session of the Canadian romantic comedy Mambo Italiano last night (15th Oct '03) and this really is one of the very best gay themed films I've seen - and equally well suited to both a young and older audience.

I went to the preview because it had a gay theme - but quickly realised there's a lot more on offer - and a great deal of the film is about family and tradition. It's made with absolute honesty in regard to it's gay content, and as such is neither opportunistic nor preachy.

Mambo Italiano successfully avoids all likely clichés with a beautifully crafted script, first class acting and some of the best editing I've seen in any motion picture. And it looks spectacular - verging on surreal.

I thought it was wonderful that the predominantly young and mixed (and presumably straight) crowd all laughed, swooned, sobbed and cringed - although not all at the same time - proving that there are a lot of angles to this film which will appeal to a very broad audience.

Mambo Italiano is the best time I've had in a movie theatre in the last couple of years - and it thoroughly deserves commercial success.

I like that the TV adverts are give none of the film away, in fact understating how good it really is. You'll be surprised - it's the sort of film you'd love to see twice.

"Gayline" telephone counsellors around the globe will have to forgive one aspect of the plot (the lack of adequate training before going on-line), but they'll get a kick out of the fact that they're a key plot line.

Mambo Italiano somewhat reminiscent of Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet, where Chinesse community is replace with Italian community. But, actually Mambo Italiano has somewhat different perspective on the issue that matter.

Of course, this little flick can't compare to the Ang Lee fine film. But, Mambo Italiano has it own merit. There's a sufficient amount of comedic sequences, the drama's tension is fair and the homosexuality doesn't vulgarly shows.

Mambo Italiano is a fun drama/comedy to watch. The cast is great, the plot is not stereotypical. I mean, this is really fresh piece of film. watch it by your self. It's fun.

Angelo Barberini (Luke Kirby) tells his all Italian family that he wants to move out (at age 27) What he doesn't tell them is that he's gay. Then he meets hunky Nino (Peter Miller) a closeted policeman. They fall in love and begin to live together (with separate bedrooms), but keep their relationship secret. Angelo wants to come out but Nino is dead set against it. Angelo finally does come out...and all hell breaks loose.

Purported "comedy" is just horrid. This is 2003--do we need ANOTHER comedy about a gay man coming out? (Just for the record, I'm gay). That story has been done to death and just isn't funny or original anymore.

The jokes are very obvious and there's tons of negative gay jabs (all disgused as humor--but nobody in my audience was laughing). There's nothing funny about the family's reactions and they seem way over the top for this day and age. I'm not Italian, but this movie seems to wallow in Italian stereotypes. Are all the mothers this cruel and overbearing? Do they seriously expect their children to live with them until they get married? Are they always yelling and throwing guilt around? These are the same characters I've been seeing for years--they weren't funny then, they aren't funny now.

The film is colorful and Luke Kirby actually gives a very cute, funny performance. Paul Sorvino (as Angelo's father) isn't bad either and Claudia Ferri (as Angelo's VERY neurotic sister) has her moments. But everybody else is either shrill and overbearing (Ginette Rene especially) or bland. Peter Millar is TERRIBLE as Nino. He is tall, handsome and has a GREAT body...but he's so wooden and dull. I kept wondering what Angelo sees in him. Also, aside from one little kiss, we see no affection between these two men--I didn't believe they were lovers at all. When they were being driven apart by their families, I could have cared less. Since they didn't seem to be in love, what were they losing? Also this movie was leaden paced--it was only 92 minutes but it felt like 3 hours!

Lousy jokes, homophobia disgused as humor, terrible acting and a ridiculously unconvincing ending which ties everything up neatly. A real waste of time. Avoid!!!!!

The new Canadian film Mambo Italiano could have just as easily been called My Big Fat Italian Gay Wedding. And those who enjoyed the film about the Greek wedding should certainly enjoy this Italian one as well. The film shows the struggles of shy, sensitive, and gay Italian, Angelo (Luke Kirby), who exasperatingly calls the Gay Helpline for crisis assistance. He states that there is nothing worse than being both Italian and gay, since the Italian culture is one built on the macho male image. His father Gino (Paul Sorvino) moved the family from Italy to Montreal in the 50s and still holds on to that old-world culture like left over lasagna in the fridge. When Angelo is reacquainted with his old childhood friend Nino (Peter Miller), who turns out also to be gay and terribly easy on the eyes, the neurotic family antics switch into high gear. Angelo and Nino fall in love and move in together, but the closet they are in begins to tear at the seams. Angelo wants to come out and tell his family. Nino is happy keeping their relationship a secret, since the latter's not only Italian and gay but also a cop, and he rather enjoys the studly image he portrays. Nino also later realizes that he doesn't quite mind checking out the girls either. It's a romantic, coming-of-age, coming-out, culture-clash comedy that serves to demonstrate that old cultural conditioning dies hard. A gay film which is aimed at the mainstream, trying to stay true to its content while not offending the general audience. It's a very topical film at the moment during a time when the US courts debate over legalizing gay marriages. But the struggle to create one's own identity, and accepting themselves as they are, is something everyone can relate to, whether gay or straight, and it gives hope for a more accepting world in which love is embraced over fear.

I read the 'user comments' before writing this and I have to say I am amazed so that so many people, especially gay ones, LIKED this!

Do you mean to tell me that you thought it was great that the lover left the main character ONLY cause he outed him to his family, and then, to add insult to injury, marries an obnoxious WOMAN?! Are you kidding?

Then you're supposed to be happy at the end that the main character met a nice guy, and so what if he's not Italian.

If that's a happy ending, then I'll take mine rare. I hate and loathe this movie. It insulted me and made me furious that something so ridiculous could be committed to celluloid. 1/10 and I'd go lower if I could.