CORKY ROMANO

US, 2001, 86 minutes, Colour.
Chris Kattan, Peter Falk, Vinessa Shaw, Peter Berg, Chris Penn, Fred Ward, Richard Roundtree, Matthew Glave, Roger Fan, Dave Sheridan, Vincent Pastore.
Directed by Rob Pritts.

A lot of this film is quite funny but it will very much depend on audience acceptance of comedian, Chris Kattan. He plays the youngest son of a gangster chief – played by Peter Falk. He has been sent to college and is not familiar with the family traditions, his only interest in being a vet. He is prone to the zany remarks as well as a whole lot of pratfalls, one of those comedians who is able to survive all kinds of difficulties.

With the patriarch about to die, the family wants to recover some incriminating documents from the FBI so Corky is set up as an FBI agent with an extraordinary resume and sent to get the papers. It doesn’t quite work out that way because he is caught up in some of the cases, praised by the chief, Richard Roundtree, the object of great jealousy by his assistant, Matthew Glave. He is also attracted by the female operative played by Vanessa Shaw. The jokes are that, unintentionally, he is able to provide leads on a number of cases and ingratiate himself with the FBI.

Things come to a head when the female agent goes into the house to play a nurse, Corky is at risk of being exposed, and an alternate villain is discovered, the Consigliere who is also an FBI informant but he was trying to promote his own career, played by Fred Ward.

The two brothers, one fairly illiterate, played by Peter Berg (who is to have a stronger career as an action film director) and the somewhat repressed gay brother in denial, Chris Penn.

1. A Mafia story, a family story, spoof?

2. The city, the Mafia mentions? The FBI, the bureau? The streets, crime locations, warehouse, clubs, the busts? The musical score?

3. The cast, the spirit of satire and jokes?

4. The patriarch, Peter Falk, ill, his life as a crook, his two sons, one stupid, one be gay? The illustration of stupidity and gay attention? And the final acceptance?

5. Corky, education, his being a vet, the pratfalls and tangles, his work with customers at the vet? Visit to his father, the commission, the wariness of his brothers, the advice of the Consigliere? The preparing elaborate papers, give him all kinds of qualifications and languages? His being wired? Going into the office, the encounter with the boss, with Brick, the other assistance? Agent Kate Russo?

6. His trying to get the documents, his being caught up in the activity, the murder scene, his comment about the maggots, the time of death? His becoming something of a hero? The boss supporting him? The calling each other by Christian names? Brick and his jealousy? His petulance? The crime scene, the machine gun going berserk – but the criminal having a toy gun?

7. The encounters with his brothers, tangling with them, on the street, their being searched, their pursuing him? The gay brother and his looking and photographing? The dumb brother and his inability to say what ice cream he would like?

8. Kate, the martial arts? The bond between them? Corky finding her as his father’s nurse, upset?

9. Documents, his getting them? His leaving them hurrying away, Brick finding them? The boss, believing Corky, his admission of fault and being praised for this?

10. In-house, the photo catching him entering? With the nurse? With his father, the realisation that the Consigliere had been an FBI informant but was planning his own criminal promotion, the chase, is being caught?

11. The wedding, everybody happy, the gay brother throwing the bouquet – and the man catching it?

12. Audience liking for Chris Kattan and his comic style?