Married to the Mob - 1988
Were I a grown man when this film hit theaters in '88 (and not merely the kindergartener I was), I'm pretty sure this would be the moment I fell head over heels for Michelle Pfeiffer. Stack this up against her work in Scarface, and I'm starting to see what all the fuss was about. Her mob wife Angela is total fire to Elivra's ice.
In any case, she carries this film on her back with all her goofy charm and quirky delivery, even as Matthew Modine is fumbling his way through some offbeat geeky everyman. He's not great here (and that’s a understatement), but hey it was the 80's. So, I'll excuse it and the fact that none of the mob stuff nor Dean Stockwell's rather committed faux gravitas rise above pure farce.
All this to say, Married to the Mob is whimsical. As such, stuff like it just doesn't really get made any more. It's a fun time with a tender heart at its core, a delectable Demme trifle.
Oh, and never has there been a more apropos designation than Mercedes Ruehl (read: "rule"), for she entirely steals the screen in her brief, volcanic, drive-by appearances.
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