MAFIA MAMMA follows an insecure American woman (Toni Collette) who unexpectedly inherits her grandfather’s mafia empire in Italy. Guided by the firm’s trusted consigliere (Monica Bellucci), she hilariously defies everyone’s expectations, including her own, as the new head of the family business.
For in-depth thoughts on Mafia Mamma, please see my colleague Mike Vaughn’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Decal Releasing brings Mafia Mamma to Blu-Ray with a pleasing 1080p video presentation. The image is fairly crisp and clean with the vibrant Italian locale Kristin finds herself immersed in radiating off the screen. Flesh tones are natural with a significant amount of detail present in close-ups. The presentation allows for a grand amount of depth on display, especially in the palatial interiors that serve as the new living quarters. The production design and the outfits provide perfectly clear textural details. Black levels are appropriately deep with no egregious instances of digital noise. There is some light banding and other minor digital quirks that pop up in the transfer. Overall this is a solid release from the label.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a very good DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that captures this narrative perfectly. The kinetic sequences pop up pretty frequently thanks to Kristin finding herself the target of various attacks, and this track handles elements of gunfire and the like admirably. Environmental sounds of the world liven up the surround speakers in a really impactful way. Ambient sounds are carefully placed in the rear channels for a fully three-dimensional experience.
Dialogue is the beating heart of the film, and it always comes through clearly without being stepped on by any competing sounds. The music in the film flows through the speakers with crisp fidelity. There are a few welcome moments in the film that add texture to the low end. The audio track delivers on every front you could ask for with this release. There are optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Red Band Trailer: The minute-and-a-half long trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Mafia Mamma is not a great movie, but it does not deserve to be maligned as much as it has been. The film is in line with any number of silly, improbable high-concept comedies that you would have found in the early 2000s. The fish-out-of-water concept is nothing new, but this story handles it in a humorous way. There are plenty of moments that will give you a good chuckle, especially thanks to the committed performance from Toni Collette. There are a few reductive characterizations we could have done without, but overall this is passably entertaining lazy weekend romp. Decal Releasing has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and almost nothing in the way of supplemental features. If you are intrigued because of the talent involved, don’t let the negative reviews scare you away from giving it a spin. Recommended
Mafia Mamma is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Decal Releasing has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
