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Mafia Comedy Films
Mafia comedy films are a subgenre hybrid of comedy films and crime film, crime/gangster film, gangster films. Criteria Mafia comedies revolve around organized crime, often specifically the Italian-American Mafia but also other mafias or mafia-like crime groups, and a comedic plot line, usually involving a chase or a complicated situation involving gangsters or organized crime. Much of the humor in such films is based upon the portrayal of gangsters as ordinary people. The perceived view of gangsters is that they are tough, serious, mysterious, and often quite evil characters; so when a film portrays a side of normality to a gangster character, it can have a humorous effect. Crime film, Crime/Gangster film, gangster films typically involve many comedic moments, especially during witty conversations between gang members. This can be seen in such films as ''Goodfellas'', ''Casino (1995 film), Casino'', ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'', ''Pulp Fiction'', and ''Snatch (film), Sna ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Subgenre
Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other forms of art or entertainment, based on some set of stylistic criteria, as in literary genres, film genres, music genres, comics genres, etc. Often, works fit into multiple genres by way of borrowing and recombining these conventions. Stand-alone texts, works, or pieces of communication may have individual styles, but genres are amalgams of these texts based on agreed-upon or socially inferred conventions. Some genres may have rigid, strictly adhered-to guidelines, while others may show great flexibility. The proper use of a specific genre is important for a successful transfer of information ( media-adequacy). Critical discussion of genre perhaps began with a classification system for ancient Greek literature, as set out in Aristotle's ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (film)
''The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight'' is a 1971 American comedy crime film directed by James Goldstone and written by Waldo Salt, based on the 1969 novel by Jimmy Breslin, which, in turn, is based on the life of gangster Joe Gallo. The film stars Jerry Orbach, Leigh Taylor-Young, Jo Van Fleet, Lionel Stander, Robert De Niro and Irving Selbst. It was released on December 22, 1971, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Plot Kid Sally Palumbo grows jealous of his older, mobster boss Baccala, who has little respect for the crew that Palumbo commands. Baccala allows Kid Sally to supervise a six-day bicycle race (for the purposes of keeping the money generated), and among the 12 Italian cyclists brought into the city is Mario Trantino, a budding thief. When the bicycle race does not take place due to outside interference, Sally is demoted to serving Baccala as a chauffeur, and Trantino stays in New York City to run his own cons, which includes masquerading as a priest. Kid Sally's mother Big M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Analyze This
''Analyze This'' is a 1999 American crime comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, who co-wrote the screenplay with playwrights Kenneth Lonergan and Peter Tolan. It follows a crisis-stricken mafioso ( Robert De Niro) who solicits the assistance of a reluctant psychiatrist ( Billy Crystal). The film was given a wide release by Warner Bros. Pictures and Roadshow Entertainment on March 5, 1999, grossing $176.9 million worldwide, and received positive reviews. Due to its success, it was followed by the sequel '' Analyze That'' in 2002. Plot Mob boss Paul Vitti and his '' consigliere'' Manetta are discussing an upcoming meeting and the Mafia's present-day problems over lunch. As Manetta warns Paul to look out for Primo Sindone (an up-and-coming mafioso who wants to be '' capo di tutti capi''), gunmen bypass and kill Manetta. Psychiatrist Ben Sobel is disillusioned with his life: his son from his first marriage spies on his sessions, his patients have been boring him, and his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jane Austen's Mafia!
''Mafia!'', also known as ''Jane Austen's Mafia!'', is a 1998 American crime parody film directed by Jim Abrahams and starring Jay Mohr, Lloyd Bridges (in one of his final films), Olympia Dukakis and Christina Applegate. It was Abrahams’ final directorial effort before his death in 2024. The film spoofs Francis Ford Coppola's '' Godfather'' series and various other mafia films, notably Martin Scorsese's ''Casino'' (1995). It also parodies films in other genres, ranging from '' Forrest Gump'' to '' Il Postino'' and '' The English Patient''. In the film, a Korean War veteran avenges an assassination attempt on his crime boss father. The veteran subsequently manages a casino in Las Vegas, until surviving another assassination attempt. He sets out to gain vengeance, and to regain the love of his ex-girlfriend. By that point his girlfriend had been elected as the President of the United States, and he has to convince her to postpone her plans for world peace. Plot Like the 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mickey Blue Eyes
''Mickey Blue Eyes'' is a 1999 romantic comedy crime film directed by Kelly Makin. Hugh Grant stars as Michael Felgate, an English auctioneer living in New York City who becomes entangled in his soon-to-be father-in-law's Mafia connections. Several of the minor roles are played by actors later featured in ''The Sopranos''. The film's title comes from Michael being forced to impersonate a gangster, who is spontaneously named "Kansas City Little Big Mickey Blue Eyes"; coincidentally, it is also a play on "Jimmy Blue Eyes," nickname of real-life mobster Vincent Alo. The film was released on August 20, 1999. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $54.3 million against its $36 million budget. Plot Michael Felgate is an English auctioneer living in New York City where he manages the Cromwell auction house. He proposes marriage to his girlfriend Gina Vitale, but is disheartened to be turned down. Gina tearfully explains that her father Frank and most of her cousins a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Married To The Mob
''Married to the Mob'' is a 1988 American crime romantic comedy film directed by Jonathan Demme, written by Barry Strugatz and Mark R. Burns, and starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Modine, Dean Stockwell, Mercedes Ruehl, and Alec Baldwin. Pfeiffer plays Angela de Marco, a gangster's widow from Brooklyn, opposite Modine as the undercover FBI agent assigned the task of investigating her mafia connections. The film was released on August 19, 1988, by Orion Pictures. It earned positive reviews from critics and earned several accolades; Pfeiffer was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, and Stockwell was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Plot Angela de Marco is the beleaguered housewife of "Cucumber" Frank de Marco, an up-and-comer in the Long Island mob. She is fed up with her husband's criminal lifestyle, and annoyed by the other mob wives. During an argument with Frank, she demands a divorce, but ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harlem Nights
''Harlem Nights'' is a 1989 American crime comedy drama film starring, written, and directed by Eddie Murphy. The film co-stars Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx (in his last film appearance before his death in 1991), Danny Aiello, Michael Lerner, Della Reese, and Murphy's older brother Charlie. The film was released theatrically on November 17, 1989, by Paramount Pictures. The film tells the story of "Sugar" Ray and Vernest "Quick" Brown as a team running a nightclub in the late 1930s in Harlem while contending with gangsters and corrupt police officials. ''Harlem Nights'' is, as of 2025, Eddie Murphy's only directorial effort. He had always wanted to direct and star in a period piece, as well as work with Pryor, whom he considered his greatest influence in stand-up comedy. Reviewers panned the film, with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert choosing ''Harlem Nights'' as ranking among the worst films of 1989. At the 10th Golden Raspberry Awards, Murphy won the Razzie for Worst Screenplay. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Freshman (1990 Film)
''The Freshman'' is a 1990 American crime comedy film written and directed by Andrew Bergman, and starring Marlon Brando, Matthew Broderick, Bruno Kirby, Maximilian Schell, Penelope Ann Miller, and Frank Whaley. The plot revolves around a young New York film student's entanglement in an illicit business of offering exotic and endangered animals as specialty food items, including his being tasked with delivering a Komodo dragon for this purpose. The film received positive reviews from critics. Plot Clark Kellogg leaves his mother Liz and environmental activist stepfather Dwight in Vermont to go to New York University (NYU) to study film. After arriving at Grand Central Terminal, he is approached by Victor Ray, who at first offers to carry Clark's bags, then offers a ride. As soon as Clark steps out of the car, Victor drives off with Clark's luggage still in the trunk. Clark tells his instructor at NYU Professor Fleeber, who uses books he has written as required study, about losi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Corky Romano
''Corky Romano '' is a 2001 American mafia comedy film starring Chris Kattan, Fred Ward, Vinessa Shaw, Chris Penn, and Peter Berg. The movie was produced by Robert Simond, directed by Rob Pritts, and was written by David Garrett and Jason Ward. In the film, Kattan plays the title character, a veterinarian who is forced by his mobster family to infiltrate the local FBI facility to steal evidence incriminating his father, Mafia boss Francis A. "Pops" Romano (Peter Falk), of racketeering charges. It opened in theaters on October 12, 2001. Plot Veterinary technician Corky Romano, banished from his family after the death of his mother, is unaware of their criminal connections until he receives a call from his father "Pops", a Mafia crime lord. Indicted on racketeering charges and knowing the strong case against him, Pops has concluded the only solution is to destroy the FBI’s evidence. At the family mansion, a bedridden Pops convinces Corky to infiltrate the local FBI office, sinc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wise Guys (1986 Film)
''Wise Guys'' is a 1986 American black comedy crime film directed by Brian De Palma and produced by Aaron Russo from a screenplay written by George Gallo and Norman Steinberg. It stars Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo as two small-time mobsters from Newark, New Jersey, and features Harvey Keitel, Ray Sharkey, Lou Albano, Dan Hedaya, and Frank Vincent. De Palma later called it "a movie I wish I hadn't done... The studio changed their minds and didn't want to make it. They just wanted us to go away. I should have just taken my money and walked instead of dealing with a studio that didn’t want to make the movie." Plot Italian American Harry Valentini and his Jewish friend and next-door neighbor Moe Dickstein occupy the bottom rung of Newark Mafia boss Anthony Castelo's gang. Making a living by doing Castelo's lowest jobs (such as looking after his goldfish, testing out bullet-proof jackets, or checking the boss's car for bombs) the two men dream of opening the world's first Jew ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
My Blue Heaven (1990 American Film)
''My Blue Heaven'' is a 1990 American crime comedy film directed by Herbert Ross, written by Nora Ephron, and starring Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, and Joan Cusack. This is the third film in which Martin and Moranis starred together. It has been noted for its relationship to '' Goodfellas'', which was released one month later. Both films are based on the life of Henry Hill, although the character is renamed "Vincent 'Vinnie' Antonelli" in ''My Blue Heaven''. ''Goodfellas'' was based on the book '' Wiseguy'' by Nicholas Pileggi, while the screenplay for ''My Blue Heaven'' was written by Pileggi's wife Nora Ephron, and much of the research for both works was done in the same sessions with Hill. Plot Vinnie Antonelli is a former mobster recently inducted into the Witness Protection Program with his wife Linda in the suburbs near San Diego. The two are under the watchful eye of federal agent Barney Coopersmith. As he is trying to adjust to suburban life, Vinnie easily slips int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Whole Nine Yards (film)
''The Whole Nine Yards'' is a 2000 American crime comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn. It was written by Mitchell Kapner and stars Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Natasha Henstridge. Its story follows a mild-mannered dentist as he travels to Chicago to inform a mob boss about the whereabouts of his new neighbor, a former hitman with a price on his head. The film was produced by Franchise Pictures, Rational Packaging and Lansdown Films and was distributed by Morgan Creek Productions though Warner Bros. It was released on February 18, 2000. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $106 million. A sequel, ''The Whole Ten Yards'', was released in 2004. Plot Nicholas "Oz" Oseransky, a likeable Chicago-born dentist from Montreal, is hated by his wife Sophie and mother-in-law. Oz's assistant Jill jokingly asks him to name a price to have Sophie disappear. Oz meets a new neighbor and realizes he is Jimmy "the Tulip" Tudeski, an infam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |