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Solidifying 1999 as the Year of the Mob Comedy, Mickey Blue Eyes is not quite as well-structured as this spring's Analyze This, or as substantial as HBO's much-lauded series The Sopranos. But it is full of several charming performances and very entertaining, nonetheless.
Hugh Grant (Notting Hill) stars as Michael Felgate, a British art auctioneer at a New York City Sotheby's clone. Despite not having yet met the family of his girlfriend Gina (played by Jeanne Tripplehorn, Very Bad Things), Michael decides to propose after only three months of courting. He pops the question via doctored fortune cookie and is shocked when Gina gets up and flees the Chinese restaurant in tears immediately following the proposal. (Not to quibble, but Gina and Michael had reservations at a finer bistro and didn't make it on time to keep them - so where did he get the fortune cookie message?)
Thinking that she may have gone to her father's restaurant, Michael heads to The La Trattoria (meaning, literally, `the the restaurant') and meets Gina's father, Frank Vitali (James Caan, This is My Father), as well as a myriad of other shady Sicilian characters. Although everyone hits it off nicely, Michael becomes a bit suspicious when he stumbles upon a frosty gentleman in the freezer while trying to find the bathroom. He is also able to track down Gina in the bedroom of her childhood home – complete with Duran Duran poster – where she explains that her fear is that her connected family members will somehow corrupt her honest and naïve man.
Gina has good reason to worry. The next day Michael's art deliveries are early for the first time ever, thanks to freshly rejuvenated Teamster drivers. He thinks nothing of it until Frank suggests that Michael help auction the painting of the son of his mob boss (played by Burt Young, Rocky). The picture depicts Jesus wielding an automatic rifle while executing what appears to be a mob-like hit. At that evening's auction, the painting is sold for $50,000 to someone resembling the man in The La Trattoria's freezer. Within twelve hours, the FBI is questioning Michael for money laundering.
Sadly, Mickey follows the trend of current films by revealing most of its funny moments in the trailer – especially when Frank tries to teach Michael to drop the stuffy British accent to become Kansas City Little Big Mickey Blue Eyes, a hard-ass Italian gangster. A talking stuffed gorilla has some of the film's best lines, and Burt Young can elicit laughs just from peering out from behind his super-thick Harry Caray glasses.
Mickey's less-than-stellar production pedigree makes the film even more surprisingly enjoyable. Writers Adam Scheinman (Little Big League) and Robert Kuhn (The Cure) have crafted a nifty little script that, frankly, could have used a little less of the romantic plot and a lot more cursing. Director Kelly Makin (Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy) packed the cast with alumni of Analyze This, The Sopranos and HBO's other fantastic drama series OZ, as well as Kids cast member Scott Thompson.
Caan is wonderful as Frank, and it is truly a joy to watch Grant's Michael abandon his sheepish, puppy-dog schtick while breaking dozens of laws trying to cover his own tail. Unfortunately, Joe Viterelli (the scene-stealing Jelly from Analyze This) is completely underused in his role. For that, we will have to wait for the sequel, Analyze This…Again. (1:42 - PG-13 for some adult language, mild violence and slight sexual content)
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