Mambo Italiano - 2003

Mambo Italiano - 2003 (CA)

Can Italian people be drama free for real? Not for this movie!

I’m Italian and this movie talks about Italians… and it’s freaking hilarious and it touches your heart. 

A nice drama/comedy that has its location in Montreal. 

As Angelo, the main character, says as some point: “There is nothing worse for Italians to be gay”.

This is the story of Angelo’s life from his childhood to the present moment. The Italian cultural background that immigrants have is very well depicted and and it can be pretty hilarious. 

The movie is a comedy but is dense of a lot of struggle that are part of the Italian culture and the actors are showing very well the various relationships. 

The part I like much is when the parents, as immigrants, are talking about their choice to move to Montreal (the fake Canada that is also the fake America). the different vision between the parents who immigrate and the offspring that was born in Canada. 

I also like the difference in perspective between the average gay who built and like the gay village and the main character who dislikes the village wanting and kind of straight relationship with his partner. That in my opinion is a very good point of the movie. No perspective wins and this is also a good point. 

I liked the rawness of the situation when all the parents are trying to change their sons' behaviour and everything that goes with it. I can say that, nonetheless this is a comedy and wants to make you laugh, it’s also a very good way to see all the pressures that are coming from a homophobic culture both on the person himself and on the parents. 

For me both laughs and dramatic moment are very good and this made me love this movie very much.  

Ginette Reno is wonderful in her portrait of an Italian mom, and Paul Sorvino is a great Italian Father and husband. They are conveying the emotional manipulation that is part of the culture in an amazing way. 

In the end the message of the movie is: “be yourself and be happy!” … and “do what others want you to do and be sad and in an emotional prison for the rest of your life”.

pretty great!

my vote 4/5