Sometimes organised crime needs a woman’s touch. That’s the central idea in the new action-comedy Mafia Mamma, which is in cinemas now.
Australia’s Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense, Hereditary) stars as Kristin, who already has a full plate dealing with a misogynistic boss, her son leaving for university, and the fresh wound of her husband’s infidelity, when she receives an out-of-the-blue phone call from Bianca (Moncia Bellucci) who informs her that her little-seen Italian grandfather has passed, and she’s inherited the family business.
No prizes for guessing what that business is.
Helmed by Thirteen and Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, Mafia Mamma is blend of frothy romantic comedy and crime drama—How Stella Made an Offer You Can’t Refuse, or Eat Pray Leave the Gun, if you will. Goodmammas, perhaps? Dropped into the internecine battleground of Italian organised crime, with Bianca acting as her canny consigliere, Kristin soon finds herself dealing with fraught underworld negotiations and fending off the odd hired killer, but also eating a lot of great food and getting the best sex of her life.
This isn’t the first production to look at organised crime through a feminist lens, with recent efforts like Widows and The Kitchen coming immediately to mind, but it might be the first to treat it like a screwball comedy. Collette channels Lucille Ball’s game ditziness as throws herself into the life, transforming into a #girlboss who can stand toe to toe with rival bosses, stab an assassin to death with a stiletto heel, and still remember to make muffins for a gathering of the Families.
Despite the odd spot of bloody violence, Mafia Mamma is a feelgood midlife crisis comedy, with Collette in fine form as Kristin, who finds the demands of running the syndicate much more agreeable than the mundane dramas of domestic life. If you can relate to that (and can’t we all?) it’s time to pay your respects to the Donna.
