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| DIRECTED BY |
| Jonathan Demme
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| STARRING |
| Alec Baldwin |
| Dean Stockwell |
| Michelle Pfeiffer |
| Matthew Modine |
| Oliver Platt |
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Interpreted as director Jonathan Demme�s slapstick and unapologetic parody of the endless amount of gangster/crime films that tend to take themselves way too seriously, this film is just right. But in constructing a film that is deliberately ridiculous while also trying to be kind of serious as well, one should realize that it can only be so commendable. It did make me laugh, nonetheless � granted, not nearly as much as it tried to, but that�s a rarity anyway.
The film opens with an excellently stylish train-within-a-tunnel sequence that could easily have been pulled from a respected crime film. There are a number of sequences within �Married to the Mob� that are remarkably well done, actually � another notable one comes near the end, when we see Agent Downey repeatedly walk into an airport wearing his various identities and Demme�s camera swings around to capture characters� dialogue in one perfectly orchestrated motion.
Surprisingly - if reasoned with enough - the whole story almost makes sense in a literal way, even though pretty much all of it is laughably unbelievable. But that�s why it�s a parody, and I do realize that parodies come with exaggerations, but is that really a good enough reason to make any of it so noticeably bad? I�m referring to, of course, the awful action sequences and - more specifically - the whole scheme involving the rival mob somehow knowing that Tony�s crew will be going to a burger joint, so they�ve (by clairvoyance) planted a gun-totting Chris Isaak as an employee there.
Odd character quirks will always be found in a Demme film, but they�re just about the best part of �Married to the Mob.� It�s difficult to forget seeing Agent Downey�s seemingly normal routine of getting out of bed by immediately slipping into his suit and hopping into his pants, for instance. As for the acting, Pfeiffer gives an impressively energetic performance here and Modine is an equally enjoyable screen presence. Fortunately, for all of its stupidity, the film never quite gets stupid enough to eliminate its charm.
