George Carlin is taken into account one of many best comedians of all time, and rightly so.
His film resume, alas, by no means matched his stand-up excellence.
It’s not a given {that a} comedian can segue from the stage to the large display. For each Eddie Murphy or Steve Martin others wrestle with the transition.
The failure of Jo Koy’s “Easter Sunday” underscores that reality.
Stand-up sensation Sebastian Maniscalco made it simpler on himself. He co-wrote “About My Father,” a PG:13 comedy loosely primarily based on his immigrant roots. He narrates a part of the movie, permitting a extra seamless shift to stand-up observations.
And he performs, look ahead to it, Sebastian Maniscalco. Seems he would possibly simply be a film star in spite of everything, regardless of these cinematic coaching wheels.
Maniscalco performs a fictionalized model of himself, though this one works within the lodge business. Sebastian desires to suggest to his girlfriend, Ellie Collins (Leslie Bibb), however he’s ready for the proper second to pop the query.
He finds it when she invitations him to her household’s extravagant July 4th gala, and thru a clunky plot contortion Sebastian’s dad comes alongside for the trip.
That’s Salvo (Robert De Niro), a Chicago hair stylist whose immigrant roots are plain for anybody to see. Naturally, Salvo clashes with the Collins clan, an absurdly wealthy household Sebastian hopes to impress.
Mild, regular laughs ensue.
Maniscalco seems completely comfy as a number one man, whereas De Niro pushes previous the type of efficiency you anticipate from him in his new comedian mode.
Sure, he’s a quick burn and simply pigeonholed, however the Oscar winner is aware of sufficient to present Salvo some sizable flaws.
“About My Father” balances a number of ripe topics for ridicule. The Collins household is distractingly wealthy and one among their grownup kids is a religious healer crying out for a secure area. Father Collins (David Rasche of “Sledge Hammer” fame) performs up what it means to be obscenely rich and blind to the truth most individuals endure.
Kim Cattrall, solid as each the Collins’ matriarch and a strong Senator, sells a pivotal scene the place her time attending to know Salvo takes a bitter flip.
It’s Maniscalco’s present, although, and he’s convincing as each a pissed off son and somebody keen to do no matter it takes to woo his potential bride.
Maniscalco’s followers will see his stage persona shine by means of early and infrequently, usually with optimistic outcomes. The movie nonetheless can’t resist some lowest frequent denominator shtick, like a water-skiing model incident and a operating gag involving peacocks.
Certain, they could boost the film trailer, however the movie’s soul lies elsewhere.
In the end, “About My Father” is a rom-com, however the protagonists are a grown man and the daddy who sacrificed loads to make him worthy of Ellie’s love. That, plus the movie’s effusive reward of each exhausting work and the American dream make Maniscalco’s “Father” a flawed however welcome deal with.
HiT or Miss: “About My Father” wallows in generic comedy shtick too typically, however when it focuses on the father-son connection it brims with heat, witty humor.
