- Director:
Kelly Makin - AMG Rating:
- Genre: Comedy
- Movie Type: Gangster Film, Comedy of Errors
- Themes: Assumed Identities, Fish Out of Water, Culture Clash
- Main Cast: Hugh Grant, James Caan, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Burt Young, James Fox
- Release Year: 1999
- Country: US
- Run Time: 103 minutes
- MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Would you believe Hugh Grant as a violent Mafioso from Kansas City? Don't worry if you can't: that's part of the joke in this romantic comedy. Michael Felgate (Hugh Grant) is a British expatriate living in Manhattan who runs a successful auction house dealing in rare and valuable art. When Michael meets Gina (Jeanne Tripplehorn), he's immediately smitten, and three months later he asks for her hand in marriage. Gina, however, tells Michael that she could never marry him because of her family. Crestfallen, Michael wants to find out what the trouble could be; and when he tracks down Gina's father Frank (James Caan), he discovers the nature of Gina's family problems: Frank is a Mafia kingpin, and several of Gina's previous boyfriends have met an ill fate trying to fit in with his criminal lifestyle. Frank, however, takes an immediate liking to Michael and asks him for a few small favors. Before long, Michael has inadvertently laundered mob money through his auction house and has to pass himself off to rival gangsters as Mickey Blue Eyes, a wiseguy from Kansas City. Mickey Blue Eyes was co-produced by Hugh Grant's significant other, Elizabeth Hurley, and directed by Kelly Makin, whose previous credits include the Kids in the Hall movie Brain Candy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie GuideReview
Hollywood loves organized crime. After the epic Godfather trilogy and Scorsese's gritty movies like GoodFellas, filmmakers have begun to pump out Mob comedies in the form of Mickey Blue Eyes. Although the movie features Godfather alumni James Caan, it is clearly a vehicle for English actor Hugh Grant. The narrative is essentially a one-joke pony in which the audience gets to witness the differences between polite Englishmen and rough-and-tumble New York mobsters. Although a familiar fish-out-of-water formula, the film is a surprisingly fresh romp that relies on clever writing and deft acting. Grant delivers his patented brand of charming yet bumbling shtick, but he again illustrates his ability to carry a mediocre comedy on his shoulders. The funniest scenes involve Grant attempting to mimic the mobster pronunciation of such classic lines as "Fuggedaboutit." Director Kelly Makin Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy certainly knows comedic timing, although some parts of the film are a bit sluggish. When a supporting character is killed, the narrative suddenly becomes morose and never recovers from the drastic shift in tone. Mickey Blue Eyes peaks at the halfway point, and neither regains its momentum nor completely falls apart. It may not be a ground-breaking mobster comedy, but it is still entertaining with some real memorable moments.~ Adam Goldberg, All Movie Guide
Cast
- Hugh Grant - Michael Felgate
- James Caan - Frank
- Jeanne Tripplehorn - Gina
- Burt Young - Vito Graziosi
- James Fox - Philip Cromwell
