The Italian family unit, according to Gaudrealt's film, is
reactionary-but-dysfunctional, conservative-yet-hysterical. So when Angelo
(Kirby) sets up home with his old school pal Nino (Miller), the news hits
his parents (Sorvino and Reno) as if it were a death. The pity of Mambo
Italiano (a gay Canadian-Italian take on My Big Fat Greek Wedding) is that
it concentrates on farcical racial stereotyping when there is a quieter but
more profound movie aching to step out of the closet - Angelo and Nino are
their respective parents' only sons, and even if the men decide to adopt,
two sets of blood-lines are doomed to wither on the vine. Director
Gaudreault has fun with Sorvino and Reno's attempts to save face in the face
of public ridicule, subtly posing the question as to who is really in denial
about the nature of relationships, but the soft-focus humour is an opt-out
and represents a missed opportunity.
