MARRIED TO THE MOB
US, 1987, 103 minutes, Colour.
Matthew Modine, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mercedes Ruehl, Dean Stockwell, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack.
Directed by Jonathan Demme.
Married to the Mob is a pleasant surprise. It is a New York gangster story but mainly in the suburbs. It is also done with the light and comic touch. Blend of comedy and satire. It was directed by Jonathan Demme.(Swing Shift, Talking Heads, Swimming to Cambodia). The offbeat musical score was composed by Talking Heads member David Byrne (actor in True Stories, composer of the score of The Last Emperor).
The cast is excellent and the film depends very much on Michelle Pfeiffer's clever performance as Angela (her roles in 1988 also included Dangerous Liaisons and Tequila Sunrise). Matthew Modine is suitably naive as the F.B.I. officer. Dean Stockwell received an Oscar nomination for his role as the family boss. Mercedes Ruehl is very good in a Lainie Kazan type strong-minded dominating wife.
The film, while humorous, is also serious in its themes about gangsters.
1. A pleasing blend of the comic and the serious about New York gangsters?
2. The New York suburbs, the lower east side of Manhattan, Florida? Authentic atmosphere? The use of songs? David Byrne's atmospheric score?
3. The title and its ironies, theme?
4. The prologue, the station, Frank and his associate, businessmen waiting for the commuter train, the fat man's late arrival, their standing back, sitting in the train, the photographing of the journey, perfectly ordinary, the tunnel and their shooting the fat man? Their returning home and ironic comments? Frank's encounter with Angela, his son and the gambling, the gun? The night out, praised by Tony, the encounter with Karen, Tony killing him? The setting up of characters, issues, moods?
5. The portrait of Angela: the title of the film? Angela getting her hair done, the other wives and her being aloof, friendship with Connie? Connie's demands? At home, Joey and the gambling, Frank and the gun, threatening the divorce? The news of his death, the funeral, the mother-in-law and her leaping into the grave? Tony and his kissing her? The F.B.I. and their theories, surveillance, photographing the kiss? Tony's gifts for the home and her giving them away? Moving, the new apartment and the area, the bath in the centre of the kitchen? Joey's reaction? Taking him to school, going for jobs, arriving too late, Mike watching her? Going to the restaurant and the peeping tom of the manager, her anger? Buying the chair, the encounter with Mike in the lift? Tony's arrival, continued pressures? In the street?? Connie and her observing? Going to the beauty parlour, talking with Rita, sincere in wanting to begin a new life, her education in the beauty academy but not graduation? Rita welcoming her, changing her hair?
6. Her new life, meeting Mike again, wanting the comment on her hair? Going to visit him and setting up the date? Joey and his school work, the question about the dinosaur? The evening out with Mike, enjoying it, the dancing, return, her gauche style, on the sofa, the night, her sincerity? Mike’s change of heart? The arrest, Rita's arrest, the interrogations, the truth about Mike, the pressure on her to finger Tony?
7. Her glamorous style in going to Tony, pretending, handling his doubts? Going to Miami, Connie at the airport, the flight? Giving Tony the ring with the microphone? Her pretence in Miami? The taking of Mike, the continued pretence, dropping it? Connie's arrival, Connie punching her, the return punch? The shoot-out and the ending? Mike coming for the haircut? The happy ending? Waiting till the end of the credits and seeing the couple together.
8. Tony as the family boss, style and dress, orders to Frank, at the restaurant, relationship with Karen, in her room. coming back and killing her. killing Frank? His fear of Connie? Arranging the funeral, kissing Angela. the gifts to Joey and herself? Going to the new apartment, the pressure on Angela? Out with his assistants, the car being ambushed, at the burger restaurant and his singing. his chauffeur being shot, his getting out and shooting the assailants? Angela and her approach, his doubts. going to Miami for the meeting, Connie at the airport and her scene. his trying to cover his tracks, the flight down, the suspicions on Mike, getting his thugs to get Mike. Angela and the ring, the set-up, the shoot-out, Connie's arrival and mayhem? Going to trial, the nightmare with Connie shooting him?
9. Connie as tough, lively, the wives, with Angela, dominating Tony, threatening Angela. waking up, rushing to the airport, the forgiving scene, the flight to Miami after hearing the honeymoon suite was booked, getting off the plane early, rushing to the hotel, the scene, the shoot-out, the punches? Shooting Tony in the dream?
10. The family men and their code, cavalier attitudes, wealth? The wives. their being together, avoiding knowledge of what was going on?
11. Mike and the F.B.I., young. naive, working with his partner, photographs, bugging the apartment? His theories, interpreting Angela? His disguises as the plumber. the encounter with Tony? Enjoying the date. the night with Angela, changing his attitude, the bosses, the set-up, the pressure on Angela? Disguise at the airport., in Miami, the thugs in the bar taking him to the apartment, the set-up, the shoot-out?
12. The F.B.I. and their surveillance. serious and set up?
13. The blend of the comic and the serious?
During the final credits all the scenes did not appear in the film though they relate to episodes in the film. From the cutting-room floor, these episodes fill in background, characters and situations. And there is a finale after all the credits finish.
