Film #21: Married to the Mob
Reviewed May 2, 2012
Today we are reviewing comedy (screwball/romantic)Married to the Mob. The film stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Modine, Dean Stockwell, Mercedes Ruehl, Alec Baldwin and Oliver Platt. It was directed by the great Jonathan Demme (Philadelphia, Silence of the Lambs) and written by Barry Strugatz and Mark R. Burns
The Plot:Angela (Pfeiffer) is the wife of mafia member Frank “The Cucumber” (Baldwin), who is murdered (at a feast at Medieval Times, where the boss has his own theme music) while soaking in the tub with the girlfriend(the naked Nancy Travis) of his boss, Tony “the Tiger(Stockwell). Angela, who had threatened to divorce Frank before his untimely shot to the head,now sees her chance to get out of the whole lifestyle. (especially after getting seduced by Tony the Tiger in her backyard after Cucumber’s funeral). She has a garage sale in order to sell off everything and move to New York City with her son(who frequently does not figure into the plot). However, just like Pacino..just when she gets out, they keep bringing her back in. Tony’s unbalanced wife Connie (Ruehl) wants to hurt Angela, believing that she is having an affair with the Tiger.She leads a group of mafia wives into a gangland attack at the grocery store that ends up with a dozen eggs getting “the business”. Tony wants Angela to be his mistress,since he recently put a bullet into Nancy Travis, and will not rest until her finds her. Plus, after her near fatal groping by the Tiger, Angela is being tailed by FBI agents, Mike Downey (Modine) and Benitez (Platt). Downey tails Angela with unstealthlike movement, at one point disguising himself as a member of a black doo-wop group to avoid being seen. In his quest to be unnoticed, he keeps running into her, having eventually to tell her that he lives in her building.
Meanwhile,a rival Mafia family is trying to kill The Tiger. They attempt a massacre at a local fast food restaurant, with the help of a shady clown (played by Chris Isaak!!!)…and in other meanwhiles, Angela tries to find job. This ends up in a peeping Tom incident at a chicken restaurant and also at a salon where we get to see a very un-Charles-Napier Charles Napier. Eventually, Downey gives into his attraction to Angela, choosing to protect her and be with her, instead of following orders. Tony finds her, and lets her know how it is going to be. Connie also finds her, and goes full Joan Crawford “no wire hangers ever” mode on her and Downey. The FBI also finds Angela and Downey and hauls her in for questioning. She is told that she is needed to bring down Tony or else be arrested for her garage sale of hot merchandise. This all leads to comedic climax at a honeymoon suite in Miami (but not before Downey gets to wear several more disguises, including a jungle themed cabana suit and a pilot costume, complete with Magnum PI mustache.) Want to know how it all ends up….rent it!
The ReviewAnother winner from 1988! You know that I am a sucker for great casting and this is great casting! (it even won an award for…great casting)Michelle Pfeiffer really shines as Angela.(she was nominated for a Golden Globe) She is tough, smart, and yet she is vulnerable. Some of her greatest roles will be played on these skills…Frankie and Johnnie, Batman Returns, One Fine Day, The Story of Us…need I go on? Pfeiffer does “oppressed mafia wife” on the par of Edie Falco’s Carmela Soprano; big hair, big accent, big nails, big talent! It is not a mystery why People magazine said she was one of the most 25 intriguing people of 1988, and why a certain reviewer developed a crush on the actress when he first saw her in Tequila Sunrise.
Matthew Modine is also wonderfully cast. He is perfectly awkward as bumbling FBI agent Mike Downey. It was, for me, as if Peter Sellers’ “Inspector Clouseau” had possessed Modine during the filming. His array of disguises is something I will not soon forget, and the way he tries to melt into those costumes while still being awkward is hilarious. Modine is clearly having a good time being in the film. I think it was a smart career choice for Modine after having spent the previous year in “Full Metal Jacket” and “Orphans”. The scenes between Modine and Pfeiffer are tender and realistic. I have it from an inside tip that the scene where he snuggle in bed instead of having sex was orchestrated to demonstrate that tenderness. It plays, boy does it play. That choice, and others, led me to what I truly liked about this film. It felt like one of the old rapid fire screwball comedies of Cary Grant or Walter Matthau. I think a sex scene between Downey and Angela would have ruined its core and its wit.
I cannot forget the other players. Mercedes Ruehl was mind-blowingly crazed on a level that I love to liken to her work as Bella in “Lost in Yonkers”. See this movie, if not just to see Ruehl in the Miami Hotel scene. Dean Stockwell is obviously on top of his game, because he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor and won a whole bunch of other awards. But, come on…it is really hard not to laugh whenever anyone calls him Tony the Tiger. Plus, you have to wrap your mind around a mob boss who is rather likeable and soft spoken in a post-GoodFellas, Sopranos age. His mafia-speak one liners are fantastic though. Hey…was that Al Lewis?!!!
Speaking of lines..this film, at its heart is a comic homage to mafia films, like Public Enemy and the Godfather, and it makes heavy use of the “Hey, youse guys” lingo. They must say “Fuggetiboutit” 25 times. But, it is all part of the fun in this madcap world created by Jonathan Demme. In its historical context, it comes out at a time that many might argue was the last public hurrah for the actual mafia. It was a time when John Gotti would be taking the Mafia from silence to media spotlight. It was a time when the FBI had busted up much of the New York leadership in the Mafia Commission Trials of 85-86, leading to an even stronger media presence and public exposure. FBI agent Joe Pistone published his memoirs of infiltrating the Bonnano’s as Donnie Brasco in 1988, and Henry Hill had told his own turncoat story in “Wiseguy” a few years before. The point, the Mob had become headline news,so why not have fun with it? In fact, I believe that it may have been the inspiration for the wave of “Made Men and their family” material to follow..My Blue Heaven and The Sopranosanyone? The Mob was out in the open and Hollywood was waiting. . It also has a Hollywood tongue and cheek send off to Reagan in the exchange between Angela and the FBI, delivered in the same tone as George C Scott says “Gentlemen! You can’t fight in here!This is the war room!”:
“Angela de Marco: God, you people work just like the mob! There’s no difference.
Regional Director Franklin: Oh, there’s a big difference, Mrs. de Marco. The mob is run by murdering, thieving, lying, cheating psychopaths. We work for the President of the United States of America.”
This is a beautiful, quirky, and comic film and you should all see it! Capisce?
As always here is what Roger Ebert had to say in 1988
The Plot:Angela (Pfeiffer) is the wife of mafia member Frank “The Cucumber” (Baldwin), who is murdered (at a feast at Medieval Times, where the boss has his own theme music) while soaking in the tub with the girlfriend(the naked Nancy Travis) of his boss, Tony “the Tiger(Stockwell). Angela, who had threatened to divorce Frank before his untimely shot to the head,now sees her chance to get out of the whole lifestyle. (especially after getting seduced by Tony the Tiger in her backyard after Cucumber’s funeral). She has a garage sale in order to sell off everything and move to New York City with her son(who frequently does not figure into the plot). However, just like Pacino..just when she gets out, they keep bringing her back in. Tony’s unbalanced wife Connie (Ruehl) wants to hurt Angela, believing that she is having an affair with the Tiger.She leads a group of mafia wives into a gangland attack at the grocery store that ends up with a dozen eggs getting “the business”. Tony wants Angela to be his mistress,since he recently put a bullet into Nancy Travis, and will not rest until her finds her. Plus, after her near fatal groping by the Tiger, Angela is being tailed by FBI agents, Mike Downey (Modine) and Benitez (Platt). Downey tails Angela with unstealthlike movement, at one point disguising himself as a member of a black doo-wop group to avoid being seen. In his quest to be unnoticed, he keeps running into her, having eventually to tell her that he lives in her building.
Meanwhile,a rival Mafia family is trying to kill The Tiger. They attempt a massacre at a local fast food restaurant, with the help of a shady clown (played by Chris Isaak!!!)…and in other meanwhiles, Angela tries to find job. This ends up in a peeping Tom incident at a chicken restaurant and also at a salon where we get to see a very un-Charles-Napier Charles Napier. Eventually, Downey gives into his attraction to Angela, choosing to protect her and be with her, instead of following orders. Tony finds her, and lets her know how it is going to be. Connie also finds her, and goes full Joan Crawford “no wire hangers ever” mode on her and Downey. The FBI also finds Angela and Downey and hauls her in for questioning. She is told that she is needed to bring down Tony or else be arrested for her garage sale of hot merchandise. This all leads to comedic climax at a honeymoon suite in Miami (but not before Downey gets to wear several more disguises, including a jungle themed cabana suit and a pilot costume, complete with Magnum PI mustache.) Want to know how it all ends up….rent it!
The ReviewAnother winner from 1988! You know that I am a sucker for great casting and this is great casting! (it even won an award for…great casting)Michelle Pfeiffer really shines as Angela.(she was nominated for a Golden Globe) She is tough, smart, and yet she is vulnerable. Some of her greatest roles will be played on these skills…Frankie and Johnnie, Batman Returns, One Fine Day, The Story of Us…need I go on? Pfeiffer does “oppressed mafia wife” on the par of Edie Falco’s Carmela Soprano; big hair, big accent, big nails, big talent! It is not a mystery why People magazine said she was one of the most 25 intriguing people of 1988, and why a certain reviewer developed a crush on the actress when he first saw her in Tequila Sunrise.
Matthew Modine is also wonderfully cast. He is perfectly awkward as bumbling FBI agent Mike Downey. It was, for me, as if Peter Sellers’ “Inspector Clouseau” had possessed Modine during the filming. His array of disguises is something I will not soon forget, and the way he tries to melt into those costumes while still being awkward is hilarious. Modine is clearly having a good time being in the film. I think it was a smart career choice for Modine after having spent the previous year in “Full Metal Jacket” and “Orphans”. The scenes between Modine and Pfeiffer are tender and realistic. I have it from an inside tip that the scene where he snuggle in bed instead of having sex was orchestrated to demonstrate that tenderness. It plays, boy does it play. That choice, and others, led me to what I truly liked about this film. It felt like one of the old rapid fire screwball comedies of Cary Grant or Walter Matthau. I think a sex scene between Downey and Angela would have ruined its core and its wit.
I cannot forget the other players. Mercedes Ruehl was mind-blowingly crazed on a level that I love to liken to her work as Bella in “Lost in Yonkers”. See this movie, if not just to see Ruehl in the Miami Hotel scene. Dean Stockwell is obviously on top of his game, because he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor and won a whole bunch of other awards. But, come on…it is really hard not to laugh whenever anyone calls him Tony the Tiger. Plus, you have to wrap your mind around a mob boss who is rather likeable and soft spoken in a post-GoodFellas, Sopranos age. His mafia-speak one liners are fantastic though. Hey…was that Al Lewis?!!!
Speaking of lines..this film, at its heart is a comic homage to mafia films, like Public Enemy and the Godfather, and it makes heavy use of the “Hey, youse guys” lingo. They must say “Fuggetiboutit” 25 times. But, it is all part of the fun in this madcap world created by Jonathan Demme. In its historical context, it comes out at a time that many might argue was the last public hurrah for the actual mafia. It was a time when John Gotti would be taking the Mafia from silence to media spotlight. It was a time when the FBI had busted up much of the New York leadership in the Mafia Commission Trials of 85-86, leading to an even stronger media presence and public exposure. FBI agent Joe Pistone published his memoirs of infiltrating the Bonnano’s as Donnie Brasco in 1988, and Henry Hill had told his own turncoat story in “Wiseguy” a few years before. The point, the Mob had become headline news,so why not have fun with it? In fact, I believe that it may have been the inspiration for the wave of “Made Men and their family” material to follow..My Blue Heaven and The Sopranosanyone? The Mob was out in the open and Hollywood was waiting. . It also has a Hollywood tongue and cheek send off to Reagan in the exchange between Angela and the FBI, delivered in the same tone as George C Scott says “Gentlemen! You can’t fight in here!This is the war room!”:
“Angela de Marco: God, you people work just like the mob! There’s no difference.
Regional Director Franklin: Oh, there’s a big difference, Mrs. de Marco. The mob is run by murdering, thieving, lying, cheating psychopaths. We work for the President of the United States of America.”
This is a beautiful, quirky, and comic film and you should all see it! Capisce?
As always here is what Roger Ebert had to say in 1988