"Nine Months", "Sense and Sensibility," "Four Weddings and a Funeral", "Notting Hill" and now this. Hugh Grant's stereotyped roles seem to be getting a little tiresome by now, don't you think? I mean, sure his typical role as a stammering shy very polite and good-mannered Englishman, often placed in a "Fish-out-of-water" situation, usually America, do cause laughs and hilarity at first, but by now it simply isn't funny anymore!
However, it must be said, despite Hugh Grant in his all-too-familiar role, the film has tried hard in trying to make us laugh, especially in other aspects. Unlike any other Grant film, this picture does actually take quite a serious and often grim situation and illustrates the funny side of it, most of the humour being quite intriguingly black. But then again, quite a lot of the film's gags are half-hearted parodies of the more serious Mafia pictures, such as "Casino", "Goodfellas," and (most prominently), The Godfather Trilogy, considering the fact that one the Trilogy's cast members plays a leading role in this film (James Caan, who without doubt gets the most credit in this movie).
The film deals with witty Englishman Michael Felgate (Hugh Grant) who lives in New York and has a comfortable occupation as an auctioneer for many art paintings. When he asks his girlfriend Gina (Jeanne Tripplehorn) to marry him, she surprisingly refuses, later claiming that he can't marry her because of her family. Soon Michael is introduced to the family, who turn out to be the leaders of a well-known Mafiosi crime mob, Gina's father (Caan) being one of the leaders. Soon Felgate (nicknamed "Mickey Blue Eyes" by the mob) gets reluctantly involved in the organised crime world, only to result in drastic consequences...
Sure, it is a little silly in some places. And I suppose that the characters do lack a little originality, though if you are a Hugh Grant fan, I encourage you to go and see it. I'm just saying that this is not a film to be overrated.
However, it must be said, despite Hugh Grant in his all-too-familiar role, the film has tried hard in trying to make us laugh, especially in other aspects. Unlike any other Grant film, this picture does actually take quite a serious and often grim situation and illustrates the funny side of it, most of the humour being quite intriguingly black. But then again, quite a lot of the film's gags are half-hearted parodies of the more serious Mafia pictures, such as "Casino", "Goodfellas," and (most prominently), The Godfather Trilogy, considering the fact that one the Trilogy's cast members plays a leading role in this film (James Caan, who without doubt gets the most credit in this movie).
The film deals with witty Englishman Michael Felgate (Hugh Grant) who lives in New York and has a comfortable occupation as an auctioneer for many art paintings. When he asks his girlfriend Gina (Jeanne Tripplehorn) to marry him, she surprisingly refuses, later claiming that he can't marry her because of her family. Soon Michael is introduced to the family, who turn out to be the leaders of a well-known Mafiosi crime mob, Gina's father (Caan) being one of the leaders. Soon Felgate (nicknamed "Mickey Blue Eyes" by the mob) gets reluctantly involved in the organised crime world, only to result in drastic consequences...
Sure, it is a little silly in some places. And I suppose that the characters do lack a little originality, though if you are a Hugh Grant fan, I encourage you to go and see it. I'm just saying that this is not a film to be overrated.