Lookin' Italian

Last updated
Lookin' Italian
Directed by Guy Magar
Screenplay byGuy Magar
Produced byGuy Magar
Starring
CinematographyGerry Lively
Edited byGreg Harrison
Music by Jeff Beal
Release date
January 1994
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Italian
Budget$380,000

Lookin' Italian is a 1994 American crime film directed by Guy Magar and starring Jay Acovone and Matt LeBlanc.

Contents

Synopsis

Vinny Pallazzo (Jay Acovone) is a retired gangster who has left the mafia after a disastrous incident. Now working as a clerk in a dusty bookshop of Los Angeles, he has to look after his young, reckless nephew Anthony (Matt LeBlanc), who lives fast, spending his time between seducing girls at the bookshop, dancing in nightclubs and playing poker games with friends. Vinny tries to do everything so that Anthony doesn't cross paths with mafia and gang wars, as he is afraid that his brash and hot-blooded nephew might end up like his father - dead. But that may be a lot more difficult than it sounds, especially after Anthony's girlfriend is brutally killed with another friend of his, by a gang. Anthony wants then to be avenged, especially after learning the truth about his father.

Cast

Argentina Brunetti plays a grandmother. [1] Denise Richards (credited as Denise Lee Richards) portrays Elizabeth.

Production

A low-budget independent movie, Lookin' Italian is meant to be, in director Guy Magar words, "an hommage to Scorsese and to Italian-American culture ... To me, the words "Lookin' Italian" mean "lookin' good". [2]

Magar also mentioned in his autobiography about the good friendship between Acovone and LeBlanc as the first took the latter under his wing and helped him with his acting.

Critical reception

The critical response was mixed. Variety said:

Vet TV director Guy Magar takes an able cast through the paces of a story that feels stitched together from too many well-worn sources. The story of an ex-Mafioso who tries to start a new life, but finds it difficult to shake family allegiances and his violent past, Lookin' Italian fails to overcome the script's familiar turns and hoary cliches. Inconsistencies in tone, ranging from Revenge of the Nerds humor to bloody Tarantino-style mayhem and A Bronx Tale domestic melodrama, further distance pic from theatrical contention. The attractive leads and colorful supporting characters may help only enough for a video spot. ... With solid tech support, pic looks and sounds fine, but could use some judicious editing, especially in the draggy first act. An excess of repetitive dialogue could use pruning as well. [3]

On the other hand, other newspapers gave some good reviews, especially for a low-budget and low-promoted film. The Press Enterprise remarked, for example, that Lookin' Italian was "A powerful, smart and sassy independently-made film that comes together so well – blending comedy and drama, issues and entertainment – is a tribute to Guy Magar who made it for the low Hollywood cost of under $1-million!" [4]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Lookin' Italian (1994)". The A.V. Club.
  2. ↑ Kiss Me Quick Before I Shoot (Magar's autobiography)
  3. ↑ Article from Variety (01/13/1994)
  4. ↑ Action/Cut Article

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denise Richards</span> American actress and model (born 1971)

Denise Lee Richards is an American actress, television personality, and former fashion model. Her most recognized roles are Carmen Ibanez in Starship Troopers (1997), Kelly Van Ryan in Wild Things (1998) and Bond girl Christmas Jones in The World Is Not Enough (1999). She has also appeared in films Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), Valentine (2001), Undercover Brother (2002), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Love Actually (2003), and Madea's Witness Protection (2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Richards</span> American actor and comedian

Michael Anthony Richards is an American actor, writer, television producer, and comedian best known for playing Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom Seinfeld. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, first entering the national spotlight when he was featured on Billy Crystal's first cable TV special. He went on to become a series regular on ABC's Fridays. He made numerous guest appearances on a variety of television shows, such as Cheers. His film credits include So I Married an Axe Murderer, Airheads, Young Doctors in Love, Problem Child, Coneheads, UHF, and Trial and Error, one of his few starring roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Pesci</span> American actor (born 1943)

Joseph Frank Pesci is an American actor and musician. He is known for portraying tough, volatile characters in a variety of genres and for his collaborations with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese in the films Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), and The Irishman (2019). He also appeared in Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Moonwalker (1988), JFK (1991), A Bronx Tale (1993), and The Good Shepherd (2006). Pesci's comedy roles include such films as the first two installments in the Home Alone franchise (1990–1992), My Cousin Vinny (1992), and the Lethal Weapon franchise (1989–1998).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt LeBlanc</span> American actor and comedian (born 1967)

Matthew Steven LeBlanc is an American actor. He garnered global recognition with his portrayal of Joey Tribbiani in the NBC sitcom Friends and in its spin-off series, Joey. For his work on Friends, LeBlanc received three nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards. He has also starred as a fictionalized version of himself in Episodes (2011–2017), for which he won a Golden Globe Award and received four additional Emmy Award nominations. He co-hosted Top Gear from 2016 to 2019. From 2016 to 2020, he played patriarch Adam Burns in the CBS sitcom Man with a Plan.

The Five Families refer to five Italian American Mafia crime families that operate in New York City. In 1931, the five families were organized by Salvatore Maranzano following his victory in the Castellammarese War.

<i>Wild n Out</i> American sketch comedy and improv game show television series

Wild 'N Out is an American sketch comedy and battle rap improv game show television series created and hosted by musician and comedian Nick Cannon currently airing on VH1. It debuted on July 28, 2005 on MTV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Mangano</span> Italian-American mobster

Vincent Mangano was an Italian-born mobster also known as "Vincent The Executioner" as named in a Brooklyn newspaper, and the head of the Mangano crime family from 1931 to 1951. He was the brother of Philip Mangano.

Anthony Indelicato, also known as "Bruno" and "Whack-Whack", is an American Caporegime with the Bonanno crime family of New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Petway</span> Musical artist

Robert Petway was an American blues singer and guitarist. He recorded only 16 songs, but it has been said that he was an influence on many notable blues and rock musicians, including John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, and Jimi Hendrix. There is only one known picture of Petway, a publicity photo from 1941. His birth name may have been Pettyway, Pitway, Petaway, or similar.

<i>Hangin with the Homeboys</i> 1991 film by Joseph Vásquez

Hangin' with the Homeboys is a 1991 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Joseph Vasquez. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1991, where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. It was released by New Line Cinema on April 5, 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucchese crime family</span> One of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, US

The Lucchese crime family is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City in the United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia. Members refer to the organization as the Lucchese borgata; borgata is Mafia slang for criminal gang, which itself was derived from a Sicilian word meaning close-knit community. The members of other crime families sometimes refer to Lucchese family members as "Lukes".

<i>Stepfather III</i> American TV series or program

Stepfather III is a 1992 American thriller film directed and written by Guy Magar. It stars Robert Wightman, Priscilla Barnes, David Tom, and Season Hubley. It is the second sequel to 1987 film The Stepfather and a follow up to 1989 film Stepfather II. The film follows a serial killer seeking out another family to become a part of, using plastic surgery to disguise himself from the authorities. Unlike the previous two installments, Stepfather III was released made-for-television and Terry O'Quinn does not star in the titular role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonanno crime family</span> Italian-American organized crime group

The Bonanno crime family is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, and in the United States, as part of the criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Manza</span> American actor

Ralph Manza was an American character actor who made over 160 appearances in American film and television shows.

Guy Magar is an American director and screenwriter, born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1948. He directed television series before he transitioned to feature films, such as Our Family Honor and Riptide. An independent director, he is best known for having directed films such as Retribution (1987), Lookin' Italian (1994), Stepfather III (1992), and Children of the Corn: Revelation (2001). He wrote his autobiography in 2011 called Kiss Me Quick Before I Shoot.

Vittorio De Angelis was an Italian voice actor.

<i>Alex Rider</i> (TV series) 2020 British spy thriller television series

Alex Rider is a British spy thriller television programme based on the novel series of the same name by Anthony Horowitz. Adapted by Guy Burt, it stars Otto Farrant as the eponymous character, who is recruited by a subdivision of MI6 as a teenage spy to infiltrate places that others are unable to. The series is Amazon's first scripted British Amazon Original series. The show is jointly produced by Eleventh Hour Films and Sony Pictures Television, and is the second screen adaptation of the novels, following the 2006 feature film version of the first novel, Stormbreaker.

Wise Guys is an upcoming American gangster film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Nicholas Pileggi. The film stars Robert De Niro in a dual role as 1950s mob bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.