The Plot. -------------------- After promising his dying father that he will quit his life of crime, Angelo 'Snaps' Provolone realizes it is an offer he should have refused! As the mobster tries to quit the racket, everybody gets into the act...friends, family and even the Feds! As Snaps soon discovers, going straight is the toughest job he's ever pulled!
The Storyline. -------------------------- Set in the early thirties and the golden age of gangsters, Angelo 'Snaps' Provolone (Sylvester Stallone) is the head of one of many gangster mobs of the time. He rushes to see his Father Eduardo Provolone (Kirk Douglas) who is on his deathbed to try to make peace with hi before he passes away. Snaps Father has one dying wish, for his son to give up being a gangster and go straight and Snaps of course promises.
One month later and so far Snaps has kept his promise to his Father and this is his special day, the day he finally becomes an honest businessman. He is set to become a partner in a Banking Firm at 12 o'clock midday and knows once he does this he really is keeping the promise to his Father. It is not all as straight forward as he thinks it will be though as today turns out to be one of the most stressful days of his life and he soon learns that going straight is the hardest job he will ever have to try to pull off.
His big day begins when he is woke up earlier than planned by his accountant Anthony Rossano (Vincent Spano) who has come to ask for his daughters hand in marriage. This upsets Snaps and when he inquires as to how Anthony plans to financially care for his daughter, Anthony reveals he has been,
skimming money from Snaps business's to fund the marriage. Snaps wants to kill Anthony but his henchmen hold him back in order for him to keep his promise to his Father, so Snaps goes to talk to his Daughter Lisa Provolone (Marisa Tomie) about this matter. Lisa tells her Father that she loves her man and Snaps tell her she is not allowed to marry him.
Then another young Lady called Theresa (Elizabeth Barondes) arrives at the home of Snaps, informs him she is in love with Anthony Rossano, and wants to marry him but she has lied to him and need Snaps help. Lisa then lies to her Father and tells him she is pregnant so as he will force her to marry the Father of the baby. If you think this is complicated it gets more complicated and intriguing as the film continues with Snaps tricking his money back from Anthony not once but twice and Doctor Thornton Poole (Tim Curry) who is Snaps speech therapist trying to be persuaded to marry Lisa. We also see Snaps have several run ins with his house cleaner and firing her then having to hire a new house cleaner only to discover she is an old friend. There is also great comedy moments as his thugs try to get the hang of being servants and learning not to use violence.
My Opinion. -------------------------- I must be honest I was a little dubious to say the least when I saw the read up for this film and could somehow not picture Stallone in a comedy/ gangster film. On saying that though, I have decided to review as many of Sylvester Stallone's films as I can and therefore it was one I had to watch. I am glad to say though now that I really enjoyed this film and found it very comical despite the complexity of the storyline. If you are looking for a light hearted comedy to entertain you then this is the film for you because although the storyline is complex this makes it all the more enjoyable as you find yourself not wanting to miss a minute in case you lose the plot.
John Landis who has also brought us other great comedy classics such as 'Beverley Hills Cop III', 'Blues Brothers 2000' and 'Coming to America', directs this film. He has done an excellent job with the directing of this film making it very entertain and enjoyable for us to watch. It has great humour and good effects and he certainly has the cast working there best to make an outstanding comedy with many classics scenes for our viewing.
Sylvester Stallone of whom I am a great fan as I am sure you are already aware gives a great performance as the gangster boss Angelo Provolone. He makes the character very entertaining and enjoyable to watch and gives Snaps a great and unique personality, which is very believable. Aldo (Peter Riegert) and Connie (Chazz Palminteri) give us great comedy entertainment in the roles as henchman trying to go straight. They contrast each other perfectly and really do give great comedy sequences to the film, which will have you chuckling your heart out.
There are a few very famous actors who also star in the film however there roles in this film seem very short which is a shame, but on saying that they give outstanding performances no matter how short there appearances. The great actors I am referring to are of course Kirk Douglas, Don Ameche, Tim Curry, Linda Gray and Richard Romanus. On saying that though all the cast give us great performances and really make this film very entertaining and funny.
I of course have to mention the performances of Marisa Tomie as Lisa Provolone, Ornella Muti as Sofia Provolone and Elizabeth Barondes as Theresa. What great performances they were from these three women. I think out of the three though the most enjoyable performance for me has to have been from Marisa Tomie as she gave her character true life and made her enjoyable and believable.
To be honest there are more rather well known actors in this film, that once you watch it you will no doubt recognise if you haven't already during the credits at the beginning. To list them and there performances here would be endless but I can say they all did an excellent job in there performances to make a very enjoyable film for us to view.
I have to finalise this review by saying that Stallone's performance was a very pleasant surprise as in this film not once did he use his muscular physic to add to his character, he actually had a chance to star in a film which he was cast for and not because of his muscles. He did a very good job of it too and I would recommend this film as a good family entertainment comedy for all to enjoy. I rate this film 9/10, but be warned the story takes some keeping up with but in a good way.
Cast. ---------- Sylvester Stallone Angelo 'Snaps' Provolone Marisa Tomie Lisa Provolone Ornella Muti Sofia Provolone Peter Riegert Aldo Chazz Palminteri Connie Don Ameche Father Clemente Vincent Spano Anthony Rossano Kirk Douglas Eduardo Provolone Linda Gray Roxanne Elizabeth Barondes Theresa Tim Curry Dr Thornton Poole
Director John Landis Certificate PG Year 1991 Widescreen 1.85:1 Languages English ; Spanish - Dolby Digital (5.1) Subtitles Danish ; English ; English for the hearing impaired ; Finnish ; Norwegian ; Spanish ; Swedish Duration 1 hour and 45 minutes (approx)
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Christopher Ettridge, Victor McGuire, Emma Amos, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Elizabeth Carling
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Hollywood superstar Sylvester Stallone plays 1930s gangster Snaps Provolone in this ... more
hilarious comedy of errors. On his father's deathbed, Snaps promises to quit his life of crime and become a legitimate businessman. But when a series of mistaken identi...
Available for the first time on DVD! It's a comedy of criminal proportions! After ... more
promising his dying father that he'll quit his life of crime Angelo 'Snaps' Provolone realizes it's an offer he should have refused! As the mobster tries to quit the ...
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