Mickey Blue Eyes (1999)

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