This Blu-ray from Severin Films is now available for purchase.
We’ve all got to start somewhere. Even the most notable celebrities were once doing bits parts and small roles before landing a major gig that made them famous. The cast of the hit mid-1990s TV series Friends all have several amusing credits to their names prior to appearing in the show. Courtney Cox appeared in the Bruce Springsteen video for Dancing in the Dark, and was the female lead in Cannon Films’ Masters of the Universe (1987). Matthew Perry did a ton of TV work, also appearing in the films A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988) and She’s Out of Control ()1989). The same goes for Lisa Kudrow, whose film credits include supporting roles in the horror picture The Unborn (1991) and the thriller Dance with Death (1992). David Schwimmer had a bit part in Flight of the Intruder (1991), and Jennifer Aniston landed a lead role in Leprechaun (1992). The pictures may seem silly today, but these were all important gigs for the young performers, who were just trying to do good work and get noticed.
This week Severin Films is releasing the independent crime/drama Lookin’ Italian (1994). Produced for less than a million dollars from writer/director Guy Magar (who himself was trying to expand his horizons after helming the indie horror flicks Retribution and Stepfather 3), the film had considerable trouble lining up distribution. But when Friends took off in late 1994 and co-star Matt LeBlanc became a major star, the picture eventually managed to earn a video release. This week, Severin Films is presenting the film’s Blu-ray debut, so interested parties can see this early work from LeBlanc.
Vinnie Pallazzo (Jay Acovone) was once a mob enforcer. But after a violent and traumatizing event, he quits and eventually ends up in Los Angeles, taking a solitary job in a bookstore run by cantankerous but friendly owner Manza (Ralph Manza). Vinnie’s roommate and co-worker is his young nephew Anthony Manetti (Matt LeBlanc), who is romancing multiple women and going out on auditions in the hopes of landing acting gigs. Vinnie is extremely nervous about his nephew’s impulsive and hot-tempered behavior, trying his best to keep the kid out of trouble, as well as away from mafia don, Dino Dinardo (John LaMotta). The two leads constantly butt heads about unimportant things, but it begins turning serious after Vinnie starts dating Danielle (Stephanie Richards) and Anthony meets Dominique (Nichole Carter). Dominique is a black woman whom the “family” doesn’t approve of. After a tragic event involving the death of his date, Anthony seeks revenge. Vinnie is forced to come to terms with his past and protect his nephew. He follows the kid into gang territory, receiving help from local newsstand owner, Willy (Lou Rawls).
Admittedly, the picture isn’t a masterpiece. It’s trying to tell a very big story and the characters have been directed to be overly brash, frequently yelling at each other. The focus switches gears between drama and laughs, before eventually honing in on the crime element. Vinnie often walks in on Anthony in the sack with various women (which is played for laughs), and there’s a lot of joking between the nephew and his pals, followed by more serious scenes of criticism and concern from Vinnie. The uncle is hiding a big secret (which isn’t that hard to figure out), also brooding about the violence in his past. Truth be told, there isn’t a significant threat to the pair until the final third, when an act of violence brings Vinnie’s dangerous past to the forefront.
So, yes, the tone and pacing of the film is off, with some of the drama coming across as over-the-top. It’s particularly amusing when Vinnie finds a woman who is interested in him. Over a period of seemingly a few days, she becomes fully committed to him, even attending a party run by the don, and hearing a hearting argument between Vinnie and Anthony that results in a confession and the reveal of various dark secrets, including murder. One would expect the character to immediately back away from the new relationship, but she doesn’t seem all that bothered by Vinnie’s reveal.
But at least the cast is remarkably charismatic and they manage to make it all watchable, even if it does come across at times as silly. Lou Rawls is quite good in a supporting role, and there are also cameo appearances by Denise Richards and Lori Butler (mother of future star Austin Butler), who play females on Anthony’s radar. Overall, I was amused by the movie and it was fun seeing so many notable performers in the picture developing their craft and gaining experience.
The picture quality on the Blu-ray is perfectly acceptable. This is a low-budget production, which means that it was never going to look like reference material for your home video system, but it’s certainly a significant improvement over previous formats like VHS. Apparently, the original camera negative was given a 4K scan for this release. There’s plenty of natural grain, but nothing very distracting and some of the brighter-lit sequences look quite appealing.
As far as bonus material, there is also a fun interview with writer/director Guy Magar, who talks about raising the funds for the production independently. The cost of the film varies depending on what extra you happen to be watching, but I tend to believe the filmmaker in this chat when he states that the actual budget was $350,000 (It’s normal for indie moviemakers to inflate numbers when they’re trying to sell a movie to a distributor, so that everyone can walk home with a bit of cash in their pocket). Magar notes that he was inspired by the films of Martin Scorsese, and talks about the cast. Apparently, LeBlanc was at a period in his career where he was ready to give up the business before landing this feature and, shortly afterwards, Friends. He also notes that funding was so low that he rented a helicopter for a couple of hours in order to shoot the aerial footage for the opening credits. It’s an enjoyable talk.
There are a great many archival cast and crew interviews with everyone involved that appear to be taken off of a videotape master. They don’t look wonderful, but it is entertaining to see the writer/director and cast discuss this indie film and how they approached their jobs. Another curious bonus is shaky videotape footage from the Palm Springs Film Festival debut of the movie. There are also clips of the group standing and talking to attendees in the lobby and going out for dinner afterwards. A behind-the-scenes featurette is also included.
One of my favorite bits on the disc is a segment about the movie that aired on the program Inside Edition (which used to run in the early evenings around the same time as shows like Entertainment Tonight). They talk about Friends being a smash hit and this lost movie that is now attempting to find distribution once again because of LeBlanc’s newfound fame. This is clearly just recorded on VHS off of the TV, but it’s amazing to watch.
A lengthy gag reel is also included. Actually, the reel also contains scene extensions and other bits (it also looks like it has been directly transferred off of a VHS tape), which are interesting. A trailer is also included.
With movies like these, it’s all about watching a future star develop their skills and see how clear it might have been that they were going to make it big. Lookin’ Italian isn’t a great movie, but it is interesting and fun to watch as we witness LeBlanc and a lot of other familiar fakes doing their best on a small movie with a limited budget. If you enjoyed Vinegar Syndrome/Canadian International Pictures recent release of Keanu & Co. (which marked an early role in Canada for Keanu Reeves), then this Blu-ray will likely amuse you as well.
