Directed by Martin Scorsese. With Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods. A tale of greed, deception, money, power, and murder occur between two best friends: a mafia enforcer and a casino executive compete against each other over a gambling empire, and over a fast-living and fast-loving socialite. The soundtrack to Martin Scorsese's '70s mob epic Casino is as over-sized as the movie. Assembled by Robbie Robertson, the album runs the gamut from schmaltzy pop to blues and rock & roll, featuring a great assortment of classic tracks and performers.
| Mafia! | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jim Abrahams |
| Produced by | Peter Abrams Robert L. Levy |
| Written by | Jim Abrahams Greg Norberg Michael McManus |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Gianni Frizzelli |
| Cinematography | Pierre Letarte |
| Edited by | Terry Stokes |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
| |
| 84 minutes | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10 million[1] |
| Box office | $30.1 million[1] |
Mafia!, also known as Jane Austen's Mafia!, is a 1998 comedy film directed by Jim Abrahams and starring Jay Mohr, Lloyd Bridges (in one of his final films), Olympia Dukakis and Christina Applegate.
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.
Plot[edit]
Like the 1974 film The Godfather Part II, the narrative of Mafia! consists of a series of flashbacks interwoven with the main plot. Tony is the son of a prominent Mafia don, Vincenzo Armani Windbreaker Cortino. As the film opens, Tony introduces the main thread when he exits a Vegas casino and walks to his car, accompanied by a voiceover explaining his philosophy of life. When he starts the car, it explodes.
The story then regresses more than half a century to describe the boyhood of Tony's father, Vincenzo, who was born in Italy, the clumsy son of a Sicilian postman. One day, while making a delivery for his father, Vincenzo trips and the parcel bursts open, revealing a strange white powder. The parcel's recipient, concluding that the delivery boy has seen too much, tracks Vincenzo to a street fair, where he kills his father. The boy escapes to America, where he grows to young manhood, marries, and struggles with poverty before finally finding his destiny as a mafia boss.
The film then visits the recent past; Tony has just returned from the Korean War and is bringing his idealistic Protestant girlfriend, Diane, to meet his family and friends at his big brother Joey's wedding reception (a parody of Connie Corleone's wedding in the beginning of the 1972 film The Godfather). During the festivities, however, Vincenzo is shot 47 times in an attempted hit and nearly dies. Tony announces his intention to kill Gorgoni, a drug lord with whom Vincenzo had refused to do business before the attack. Diane leaves him, saying he's abandoned the peaceful ideals of his youth, and adding that she'll never be anything to his Sicilian family but 'that Protestant chick who never killed anyone.' Tony avenges the attack, then goes into hiding in Las Vegas, where Cesar Marzoni offers him the opportunity to manage his casino, The Peppermill. Tony accepts and his casino is a great success until he meets a femme fatale, Pepper Gianini, hired by Marzoni as part of a deep-laid plan to distract him from his duties and to drive a wedge between him and Joey.
Casino Movie Spoof
Vincenzo recovers from his 47 gunshot wounds and visits Las Vegas, where he officially names Tony his successor. Joey, furious at being passed over, is told 'You get Wisconsin.' The Don then returns home, where he falls victim to his 5-year-old grandson, Chucky, who assassinates him by spraying him with malathion (parody of Vito Corleone's heart attack in The Godfather). The film returns to the present after Tony catches Joey and Pepper cavorting in a hotel room together and walks out in disgust - only to have his car explode.
Tony is horribly but temporarily disfigured, and attends his father's funeral in a wheelchair, where he spots the killers when he sees little Chucky taking a payoff. However, he decides to postpone vengeance until he can win back Diane's love and put his life in order. Diane has by this time become President of the United States, and is on the brink of declaring total world disarmament when Tony goes looking for her. He persuades her to put world peace on the back burner until after their wedding. During the ceremony, with the help of Vincenzo's mother (Dukakis), several henchmen, and an Eskimo, he settles the family's accounts in an orgy of slaughter (filmed similarly to the end of The Godfather), even arranging the harpooning of Barney the Dinosaur as a bonus.
Cast[edit]
- Jay Mohr as Anthony 'Tony' Cortino
- Lloyd Bridges as Vincenzo Armani Windbreaker Cortino
- Louis Mandylor as young Vincenzo
- Jason Fuchs as Vincenzo Cortino as a boy
- Christina Applegate as Diane Steen
- Billy Burke as Joey Cortino
- Pamela Gidley as Pepper Gianini
- Olympia Dukakis as Sophia Cortino
- Sofia Milos as young Sophia
- Joe Viterelli as Dominick Clamato
- Tony Lo Bianco as Cesar Marzoni
- Blake Hammond as Fatso Paulie Orsatti
- Phil Suriano as Frankie Totino
- Vincent Pastore as Gorgoni
- Marisol Nichols as Carla
- Carol Ann Susi as Mrs. Clamato
- Gregory Sierra as Bonifacio
- Catherine Lloyd Burns (uncredited) as Woman in Vegas Show
Release[edit]
Box office[edit]
In its opening weekend the film took $6,577,961 in 1,942 theatres, averaging $3,387. In total in the US, the film made $19,889,299.[2]
Critical reception[edit]
Mafia! received generally negative reviews with a 14% 'rotten' rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 42 reviews and a 4/10 rating.[3]
James Berardinelli of ReelViews wrote
Airplane! and The Naked Gun ..., two early entries into what has become a thriving comedy subgenre, worked in large part because the humor was fresh. Now, countless movies later, many of the jokes seem recycled, even when they aren't. ... Mafia! ... has its funny moments, but, in the wake of the hilarious There's Something About Mary, it seems more than a little lame. ... The volume of jokes is extremely high, presumably as a form of insurance—if one fails, maybe the next will succeed. The problem is, Mafia! contains too many duds. And, when you're not laughing, you start to realize how little this film has to offer beyond the diluted humor. ... Mafia! isn't a terrible film, and it will probably provoke at least a burst or two of laughter from even the most grim viewer. On the whole, however, it's a weak parody that is better suited to video viewing than a theatrical experience.[4]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, who gave the film two out of four stars, wrote
Yes, I laughed during Jim Abrahams' Mafia!, but even in mid-chortle I was reminded of the gut-busting experience last week of seeing There's Something About Mary. It is the new movie's misfortune to arrive after, instead of before, the funniest comedy of the year. ... Mafia! is the kind of movie that can never entirely fail, but can succeed to various degrees. It doesn't rank with Abraham's earlier efforts. And in a town where There's Something About Mary is playing, it's not the one to choose.[5]
Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote
There are a handful of laughs in Mafia!, but most of the movie feels oddly repressed. ... The underworld gags are limited and repetitive, without the ripely promiscuous media-age lunacy that, in a comedy like The Naked Gun, made you feel as if the film were tickling funny bones you never even knew existed. Jay Mohr, as the Michael Corleone surrogate, and Billy Burke, as his psycho-hothead brother, don't even look the part—they're like preppies clowning in a Harvard spoof—and so the film gets virtually no lift from its performers. ... Still, when Mohr's Anthony Cortino grabs his brother's head and gives him the kiss of death, leaving a bright red smear of lipstick ... well, we may all know this genre's tricks too well by now, but that doesn't mean they can't make you smile.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ ab'Jane Austen's Mafia - Box Office Data'. The Numbers. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- ^'Mafia!'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
- ^'Mafia!'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
- ^Berardinelli, James. 'Mafia!'. Reelviews. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
- ^Ebert, Roger (July 24, 1998). 'Mafia!'. Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago, Illinois: Sun-Times Media Group. Retrieved February 11, 2012 – via rogerebert.com.
- ^Gleiberman, Owen (July 31, 1998). 'Mafia!'. Entertainment Weekly. New York City: Meredith Corporation. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
External links[edit]
- Jane Austen's Mafia! on IMDb
- Jane Austen's Mafia! at AllMovie
- Jane Austen's Mafia! at Rotten Tomatoes
The Austin Powers movies are, from start to finish, James Bond spoofs. The main characters of Austin and Dr. Evil are based directly on Bond and Blofeld as well as countless other references, nods and puns. If you come up with a Austin Powers/Bond reference that is not listed here, please e-mail me.
Thanks to Caroline G, Chris, Tony Mandley, Sally Brake, Kyle Vanover, Evan Symon, Josh McElreath, Eekilb and The FileFly for their contributions.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
General Bond References
- Basil Exposition is based on M.
- Austin Powers is a secret agent working for British Intelligence.
- Dr. Evil loves sharks as many Bond villains do.
- Towards the end of the film Scott Evil makes fun of Dr. Evil for not just shooting Powers with a gun when he has the chance. Instead, Dr. Evil tells Powers his plan for world domination then locks him up with one inept guard, just like every Bond villain tends to do.
- Mr. Bigglesworth is based on Blofeld’s cat.
- Austin Powers’ very hairy chest is a nod to Sean Connery’s.
- Dr. Evil has a ring that looks a lot like the SPECTRE ring.
- Both Dr. Evil and Blofeld are known for their Nehru jackets.
- Dr. Evil’s obsession with sharks is just like many Bond villains’s similar obsession (Blofeld, Largo, Sanchez, etc.)
Dr. No References
- When Austin Powers is first dethawed there is a “urination scene” in which the set looks just like the set from the “decomanination scene” on Dr. No’s island.
- In a deleted ending available on the DVD version, Austin and Vanessa find themselves in a raft with Vanessa wearing Honey Ryder’s bikini.
- When the laser is being fired into the earth’s core, Dr. Evil wears a protective suit that looks just like Dr. No’s
From Russia With Love References
- Frau Farbissina is based on Rosa Klebb.
- When we first see Dr. Evil we do not see his face. Rather, we just see him stroking his white Persian cat. This is a spoof of the first time we see Blofeld.
Goldfinger References
- Random Task is based on Oddjob. They look the same and while Oddjob throws his bowler hat, Random Task throws a shoe.
- Alotta Fagina is based on Pussy Galore.
- When Austin is held captive in Dr. Evil’s lair he asks, “Do you expect them to pay?” To which Dr. Evil responds, “No, I expect them to die!”
Thunderball References
Casino Movie Parody Movie
- Number 2 is based on Largo and they both have eye patches.
- The casino scene between Austin and Number 2 is a take on the casino scene in where Bond and Largo first meet.
- The entire plot of hijacking a nuclear weapon and holding the world hostage is based on Thunderball.
- Dr. Evil has a device that controls the chairs of his subordinates in his lair, just like Blofeld does in Paris.
- In the deleted “Raft Ending” that features Austin and Vanessa in a liferaft, Bond turns to Vanessa and says “this is how ALL my movies end, baby!”
You Only Live Twice References
- Dr. Evil is based on the Donald Pleseance version of Blofeld
- Alotta Fagina says, “In Japan, men come first. Women come second.” Tiger Tanaka says the same thing to Bond in the spa.
One-off Bond references in Austin Powers
- The song “The Look of Love” appears in the movie, which was the theme song of the 1967 version of Casino Royale.
- Austin and Vanessa ride On Her Majesty’s Las Vegas Bus Tour, which sounds suspiciously like On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
- Dr. Evil has a giant map of locations he owns with miniature versions of the property on the map. Blofeld has a similar map in his Whyte House office in Diamonds are Forever.
- The “unnecessarily slow moving dipping mechanism” looks just like the one Mr. Big puts Bond and Solitaire on in Live and Let Die.
- Austin Powers wears a white frilly shirt and blue top, just like Bond does in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
- The scene where Austin and Alotta Fagina are in the hot tub is reminiscent of Bond and Pola Ivanova in A View to a Kill.
- Austin receives a video transmission in his car, something that can be linked to You Only Live Twice or GoldenEye.
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Dr. No References
- Dr. Evil’s lair looks like Dr. No’s Crab Key lair.
- On Dr. Evil’s island, both Austin and Felicity emerge from the water in Honey Ryder’s bikini from Dr. No.
You Only Live Twice References
- Dr. Evil’s hideout is a hollowed out volcano, just like Blofeld’s.
- The entire opening sequence in space is a spoof on the opening sequence of You Only Live Twice.
- Dr. Evil’s space ship’s front opens up just like Blofeld’s.
- Austin escapes from a fight by jumping into a car driven by Felicity, just like Bond dove into Aki’s car when escaping from Oasto.
Moonraker References
- The movie ends in outer space.
- Dr. Evil has a spacestation.
- Mini-Me is sucked into space at the end, just like Hugo Drax.
Single Bond Movie References
- When Austin is dancing with Robin Spits Swallows he sees an approaching attacker in her eye and turns her around to stop him, just like in Goldfinger.
- During the opening musical montage, there is a sign that says “Casino Royale.”
- When Bond and Mini-Me fight with glass bottles, it can be seen as a reference to either Tracy and Grunther’s fight in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service or Bond and Nick Nack’s fight in The Man With the Golden Gun.
- Mini-Me could be seen as a spoof of Nick-Nack from The Man With The Golden Gun.
- The title is a spoof of The Spy Who Loved Me.
- The corridors leading to Fat Bastard’s toilet look just like those in GoldenEye.
Austin Powers: Goldmember
Goldfinger References
- The title Goldmember is a spoof of Goldfinger.
- Nigel Powers is strapped to a table while a laser quickly approaches his crotch, just like Goldfinger did to Bond.
- Goldmember loves gold, just like Goldfinger did.
You Only Live Twice References
- The Japanese setting can be seen as being reminiscent of You Only Live Twice.
- When Foxy Cleopatra sneaks Austin into Fat Bastard’s sumo lockeroom, she is dressed like Aki.
The Spy Who Loved Me References
- Austin uses a Union Jack parachute just like Bond does during the pre-title sequence.
- Austin’s car turns into a submarine as did Bond’s Lotus Esprit.
Casino Movie Parody Youtube
Single Bond Movie References
- Austin’s Shaguar has a bulletproof shield that rises from the back, just like Bond’s old Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger and Thunderball.
- Goldmember’s golden gun could either be a nod to Goldfinger or Scaramanga, from Goldfinger or The Man With The Golden Gun, respectively.
- Get a private motorhome from Goboony
- The Japanese setting can be seen as being reminiscent of You Only Live Twice.
- When Foxy Cleopatra sneaks Austin into Fat Bastard’s sumo lockerroom, she is dressed like Aki from You only Live Twice.
- The title of the mini-movie during the pre-title sequence is Austinpussy, a take on Octopussy.
- While in the streets of Japan, Austin his car gets stuck into a giant Godzilla statue and continues to drive with it on top of his car. In GoldenEye‘s tank scene, a horse statue becomes attached to the top of the tank while Bond continues to drive with it.
- The twins Bond meets are reminiscent of the twins in The Man With The Golden Gun.
- Austin Powers carries a Walther PPK; however, it is the chrome version.
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