Mafia Mamma is a badly executed fish-out-of-water movie that features rushed filmmaking and a slipshod script, as well as lavish destination scenery and good-looking men and women practically straddling the leading lady.  Not a good look for either director Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Twilight, Miss Bala) or producer/star Toni Collette, who reunite since working together on 2015’s Miss You Already.

Collette plays Kristin, a working suburban mom who isn’t being taken seriously by her co-workers or her two-timing husband (Tim Daish, who is responsible for the few laughs in this comedy).  When her Italian grandfather passes away, Kristin decides to travel to Italy for the funeral to pay her respects and take this time to do some of her own soul-searching. Soon after her plane lands, she discovers that her grandfather was not, in fact, a vintner – he was a mafia don.  Shocked and hysterical, Kristin is taken in by consiglieri Bianca (a mainstream return for Monica Bellucci of the Matrix franchise), hastily positioned as the heiress to her grandfather’s mob, and is thrown into turf war dealings with opposing mob bosses and their flunkies.

Mafia Mamma milks gangster stereotypes which includes the “hardened Italian” archetype that I thought was phased out years ago, as well as the bumbling fool routine that Collette can’t freshen up despite how talented she usually is.  These dated qualities are in line with Mafia Mamma’s relevancy, a movie that’s feels like its been shelved since the early 2000s.  This isn’t the consistency audiences are looking for;  especially when the characters are this thin and the humour is this creaky.  There isn’t even an interesting range for Collette to play with.  We don’t spend enough time with Kristin before her trip, she slips into the mob boss role too easily, and her integrity can be placed on hold if it means she’ll get to have sex with a hunk.

Before a certain turning point though, I could understand if an older audience would be able to identify with Kristin’s motivations;  especially viewers who are looking for escapism through popcorn entertainment and the film’s surrounding cultural details.  If that’s the case, those movie goers better have a strong stomach for how violent Mafia Mamma becomes.  Fatalities include lots of bloody shootouts and close-up eye gouging.  Y’know, something you can take mum to.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie