½ Mafia!
The one confusing thing that disturbed me the most regarding JANE AUSTEN'S MAFIA! was the fact that Jane Austen's name was attached to the title. I realize there must be a book written by her, but the producers of this film must have taken immense liberties when adapting the screenplay. A note has recently been sent to me stating that the film is not based on a novel by the famous writer, but it's just there for humorous purposes. Apparently, the producers thought she was still popular until they found that only about 10% of the population had ever heard of her. Anyway, this film contains parodies of recent films that weren't even around when Jane Austen wrote. So when you see her name up on the screen, just realize that it's only her name... the film itself is mostly an original piece of work. Perhaps this is the reason her name was removed from the advertising?
Comedies have lately been pushed into two different categories: satire and vulgar gross-outs. MAFIA! is neither, but instead heralds back to the great comedic efforts of such spoofs as Airplane! and Naked Gun. But both of those films contain something that is lacking here: a plot. I'm not quite sure what the three writers were thinking, but the plot is so thin that it would have been better without one altogether.
MAFIA! begins with a hilarious spoof of the opening sequence of Casino. The plot treads along at a rapid pace, and at first we begin to see a semblance of one shining through the mess. Anthony Cortino (Jay Mohr) is a member of the mafia, and now owns a casino which literally rips people off. In what may be the funniest sight gag this year (yes, that includes anything in There's Something About Mary), we are given a tour of the casino and its games. Ranging from "Guess My Number" to "Chutes and Ladders," they are all games for the sole purpose of ripping the players off. For example, with "Guess My Number," the dealer sits behind a table, and the gambler sits on the other side. "2!" he guesses. "Oh, I'm sorry... the number I was thinking of was 3!" the dealer tells him. Of course, this is only a tiny piece of what is one of the funniest moments I've seen in a long time.
And since the plot is so thin, it's virtually impossible to sum up in a paragraph. The plot literally jumps around in time and locations without giving any information as to where we are. About thirty minutes into the film, I just gave up trying to determine what I was following. Instead, I decided to sit back and just watch the sight gags unfold before me. And let me tell you, if you do that, you are sure going to have a lot more fun than trying to determine anything resembling a story.
Director Jim Abrahams is a member of the infamous team who brought us the great spoofs of the eighties and early nineties. The one lasting series, Hot Shots, doesn't look like it will be back. With MAFIA!, Abrahams tries to regain some of the charm that made his previous films so successful. What Abrahams didn't realize was that you need a funny lead in order to make the rest of the film humorous. Jay Mohr is not exactly a funny guy, and most of his comedy comes from the dialogue. In the most successful spoof-series of them all, Naked Gun, Leslie Nielsen portrayed Frank Drebin as if he thought he was doing a good job. He took everything seriously, and his voice would always enhance the comedy. Jay Mohr is definitely no Nielsen.
However, despite the lead's inability to draw laughs, the rest of the cast is superb. The highlight is Christina Applegate who has a natural comic ability that showed in her television show Married... With Children, and more than shows here. Lloyd Bridges, who recently passed away (the film is also dedicated to him), gives a very funny portrayal of Don Vincenzo Cortino, the father of Anthony and his brother, Joey (Billy Burke). In one of the most hysterical moments, Bridges tries to smoke a cat's tail which is still wriggling around. Bridges has a unique quality that made him perfect for this kind of comedy. And, my favorite scene has Bridges sticking a slice of watermelon into his mouth and scaring away a child. Olympia Dukakis even shows up as Sophia, Bridges' mother. Dukakis provides some of the biggest laughs dealing with flatulence I've seen in a long time. Thankfully, though, it's nothing as crude as anything in the aforementioned vulgar comedy by the Farrelly brothers.
What's always important about these kinds of films is the way they are directed. Abrahams isn't as successful as David Zucker, the director of Naked Gun, because he puts all the humor into the foreground. Zucker had people dancing in the background or falling downstairs. And yet, Abrahams is completely at home with this genre, and his foreground comedy is very funny. He succeeds most often when spoofing other films, such as the riotous E.T. cameo coming to America on an alien boat. Out of all of them, however, the incredibly funny parody of the opening scene of Spielberg's Jaws rules supreme. I haven't laughed that hard in quite a long time. Abrahams loves to put set pieces into locations where they normally wouldn't be (like the buoy from Jaws that the victimized woman grabs onto-this time in a swimming pool). Also, as if you haven't seen it, the film includes an uproarious spoof of Forrest Gump (which, ironically, is funnier than anything in that movie).
The screenplay is also extremely important, and it's rather a mixed bag here. With three screenwriters, the film is able to come up with some very funny dialogue. However, as I said before, the plot isn't there. Towards the end of the film, an eskimo takes a harpoon and kills Barney the Dinosaur. The only thing this had to do with anything was to provide a very funny piece of information during the closing credits. One of my favorites lines is given by Mohr as he arrives at the casino. The valet boy takes the keys and Mohr says, "Here's a tip, take my car." And, you have to be listening carefully, Applegate gives a perfect line that matches her dry wit that she's so good at: "Just because I'm a Protestant who hasn't killed anyone yet?"
MAFIA is rated PG-13 for some crude humor, language, violence (mostly comedic), and sexual innuendos (specifically, a very, very, very large penis). While it isn't a classic like other spoofs, MAFIA! does provide a couple hours of fun and entertainment. The film is appropriate for teenagers, which is what it's aimed at. In this review, I have tried to use as many adjectives to suggest that the film was funny. If you want a film that you don't want to think about too hard, this is a good choice. Oh, and stick around for the closing sequence which is unusual but funny.