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If movies are any indication, a lot of people sure must think the Mafia is awfully funny. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since it indicates political correctness hasn’t completely taken over Hollywood, as long as they’re only making fun of Italians (don’t hold your breath for a comedic take on the KKK or the Crips and Bloods any time soon; thank God there’s Chris Rock). But the idea of sticking an uninitiated non-Italian innocent in with the wiseguys (which has already been done once this year in Analyze This) was getting tired well before Mickey Blue Eyes came along.
Starring Hugh Grant (and produced by his indulgent paramour Elizabeth Hurley) as Michael Felgate, a foppish Brit who works for a swank Manhattan art auction house, Mickey unfortunately does nothing new or worthwhile with the device. The high concept this time is that Michael is in love with a beautiful schoolteacher (Jean Tripplehorn), but doesn’t learn of her father’s (James Caan) mob ties and criminal history until he proposes marriage (Michael, not the father). By then it’s too late for him to avoid getting suckered into doing a favor, after which things plunge rapidly downhill, and before you know it, badda-boom, badda-bing, he’s about to get capped by the capo at his own wedding.
Mickey Blue Eyes does have a couple things going for it. Grant occasionally shows a fresh Jerry Lewis goofiness -- amidst otherwise often cruel humor -- that actually works better than Billy Crystal’s performance in Analyze This. And Burt Young is nicely, quietly threatening as the local don, so much so that his performance seems understated and out of place, like nobody told him this is supposed to be funny. But it suffers from a long, drawn out, contrived climax that may have you hoping all the wrong people will get shot.
If you really want to see this formula work, rent The Freshman, starring Matthew Broderick and Marlon Brando. Now, that’s a funny Italian. C
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