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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Big Mamma's Boy (Film)

by Jarrod Walker | July 25, 2011 12:01 | Edited July 25, 2011 12:02

While director Franco Di Chiera seems desperate to make the comedy work, it never does due to a derivative script and stilted performances

Rocco Pileggi (Frank Lotito) is a 35-year-old womanising real estate agent who still lives with his Italian Mamma (Carmelina Di Guglielmo) and grandfather, Nonno (Osvaldo Maione). Rather than reveal the fact that his mother still makes his dinner every night, he takes his conquests to unsold properties in order to bed them, and then sneaks back home, attempting not to wake his mother. Proceedings take a surprise turn when Rocco's boss, Theo (George Kapiniaris), hires hotshot estate agent, Katie (Holly Valance), whose arrival threatens Rocco's client list, and may potentially push him out of his job. Despite being intimidated, Rocco falls for Katie - hook, line and sinker. Desperate to prove that he's a capable, modern man, he moves in with his loutish best mate, Anton (Steve Mouzakis). Unfortunately, Rocco is still firmly and inextricably attached to his mother's apron strings, and he must woo Katie while attempting to placate his needy Mamma, who just wants him to settle down and marry a nice Italian girl.

 

Director Franco Di Chiera sets a decidedly retro tone with Big Mamma's Boy, which is obviously inspired by Rock Hudson and Doris Day's romantic comedies, and harks back to a broader, less complicated brand of humour. It time travels in its social politics as well, with one wince-inducing subplot that has Rocco trying to convince his mother that he's not gay, as if it's the nastiest thing that anyone could think of him.

 

First time writer/actor Frank Lotito's script is underdeveloped and derivative, the editing is baggy and strangely mistimed, the performances are stilted, and the dialogue trite, so much so that Di Chiera's direction reeks of a desperate struggle to force the comedy to work - but it just doesn't. It's a snappy idea, and it should crackle with wit and verve, but instead, Big Mamma's Boy lays limp, flat and lifeless.