Mickey Blue Eyes Review
by Jamey Hughton (bhughton AT sk DOT sympatico DOT ca)September 1st, 1999
MICKEY BLUE EYES
***1/2 (out of five stars)
A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Hugh Grant, James Caan, Jeanne Tripplehorn,
Burt Young, Joe Viterelli and James Fox
Director-Kelly Makin
Rated PG
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With the huge early summer hit Notting Hill under their belts, both Hugh
Grant and Julia Roberts are trying to duplicate that success with
another round of romance this season. Roberts teamed up again with
Richard Gere for the altar comedy Runaway Bride, and now Grant is trying
his hand at the Mafia spoof Mickey Blue Eyes. Despite coming so soon
after Analyze This, the Englishman uses his naive charm and manages to
fuel this predictable but cute comedy simply by using his puppy dog
eyes.
You know the look. Grant has used it to his advantage ever since Four
Weddings and a Funeral. It’s this “I’m in over my head / I can’t believe
I’m doing this” expression that coats Mickey Blue Eyes with an
appealing, totally charming glaze. I don’t know, someday maybe it will
get old. But for now, his innocent looks and actions perfectly suit
comedy vehicles such as this.
Grant plays Michael Felgate, an art auctioneer who’s about to get in
over his head. Michael is hopelessly in love with a pretty
school-teacher named Gina Vitale (Jeanne Tripplehorn), and after some
complications involving a botched fortune cookie message, he asks for
her hand in marriage. Gina backs out immediately to Michael’s confusion,
and afterward when he confronts her, she explains: “I can’t marry you
because of my father”. As it turns out, Frank Vitale (James Caan) is an
influential figure in the mob. Gina wants to avoid any involvement
Michael could have with the rest of the “family”.
While I won’t deny that Mickey Blue Eyes is consistently amusing, it
doesn’t have the great comedic tag team of Robert DeNiro and Billy
Crystal that gave Analyze This it’s extra juice. However, casting
remains a bright spot. Grant, although displaying marginal range, is
delightful in the vital role of Michael. When he’s forced to create an
alter ego his mob ties, the character of Mickey Blue Eyes is concocted.
Seeing Grant attempt to speak Mafia jargon (“No R’s,” advises Frank.
“And replace the T’s with D’s”) is truly hilarious. James Caan makes for
a worthy adversary, and although he is not the perfect choice for the
role, his veteran craftsmanship (gained from The Godfather) helps a
great deal. The only tiny loose end is Tripplehorn, who plays her role
too aggressively to be likable. Although admittedly attractive,
Tripplehorn lacks the vibrance and charisma needed to fill the shoes of
Gina.
The supporting cast is full of familiar faces that generally populate
mob movies. Burt Young is dignified and effective as Uncle Vito, the
head of the family, but there is never any humor explored in his
character. Joe Viterelli (hilarious as the bodyguard in Analyze This)
has a similar role as Vinnie. But again, his character is played far too
straight - particularly when considering what a successful stretch he
had in the previous film. The remainder of the cast is made up of a
troupe of gangster types you would expect.
Director Kelly Makin (Kids in the Hall) often takes the easy route for
the humor, but the accomplished stars only make it funnier. There are
lots of double-crosses and plot twists towards the end - mainly
involving the FBI at a final wedding ceremony - but most are entirely
predictable. Still, this is pretty funny stuff. The script is fast and
efficient enough to make us forget certain character problems, and the
gags are often expertly polished. It’s not like we haven’t seen this
material before, but the charm and overall appeal of the actors is
difficult to resist.
How does this stack up with Analyze This? Well, basically the same,
except for one small detail: Mickey Blue Eyes is probably better
equipped with more crowd-pleasing moments. And Grant and Caan nicely
compensate for the loss of DeNiro and Crystal - mostly a fair
comparison, if you ask me.
(C) 1999, Jamey Hughton
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