Italia, Yes! Mafia, No!
If The Godfather (1972) has emphasized in our consciousness many positive aspects about Italian-American culture... it also generated a few negative ones as far as pop culture and gangster movies are concerned... and this comes from a fan of the film.
We tend to forget that many great movies set in Italian-American neighborhoods or featuring Italian-American protagonists have no connection whatsoever with the Mafia or any crime-related entity and deserve a tribute of their own.
So, which of these Italian-American non-Mafia movies is your favorite?
After voting, you might discuss the list here
We tend to forget that many great movies set in Italian-American neighborhoods or featuring Italian-American protagonists have no connection whatsoever with the Mafia or any crime-related entity and deserve a tribute of their own.
So, which of these Italian-American non-Mafia movies is your favorite?
After voting, you might discuss the list here
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- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsSylvester StalloneTalia ShireBurt YoungA small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.
- DirectorJohn BadhamStarsJohn TravoltaKaren Lynn GorneyBarry MillerAnxious about his future after high school, a 19-year-old Italian-American from Brooklyn tries to escape the harsh reality of his bleak family life by dominating the dance floor at the local disco.
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsCherNicolas CageOlympia DukakisLoretta Castorini, a bookkeeper from Brooklyn, New York, finds herself in a difficult situation when she falls for the brother of the man she has agreed to marry.
- DirectorJonathan LynnStarsJoe PesciMarisa TomeiRalph MacchioTwo New Yorkers accused of murder in rural Alabama while on their way back to college call in the help of one of their cousins, a loudmouth lawyer with no trial experience.
- DirectorDelbert MannStarsErnest BorgnineBetsy BlairEsther MinciottiA middle-aged butcher and a school teacher who have given up on the idea of love meet at a dance and fall for each other.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsAl PacinoJohn RandolphJack KehoeAn honest New York cop named Frank Serpico blows the whistle on rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.
- DirectorÉmile GaudreaultStarsLuke KirbyPeter MillerGinette RenoThe son of Italian immigrants to Canada struggles to find the best way to reveal to his parents that he's gay.
- DirectorPeter FarrellyStarsViggo MortensenMahershala AliLinda CardelliniA working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver for an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.
- DirectorNancy SavocaStarsAnnabella SciorraRon EldardAida TurturroDonna and Michael are getting married. But first, they have to plan the reception, get the tux, buy the rings, and cope with their own uncertainty about the decision. Michael fears commitment. Donna has her doubts about Michael's immaturity. Both are getting cold feet.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsWesley SnipesAnnabella SciorraSpike LeeFriends and family of a married Black architect react in different ways to his affair with an Italian secretary.
- DirectorAnne BancroftStarsDom DeLuiseAnne BancroftRon CareyAn overweight bachelor is fat, 40 and fed up--to the gills--but when his obese cousin Sal dies at 39, he must finally come to terms with his own weight problem.
- DirectorJohn TurturroStarsJohn TurturroMichael BadaluccoCarl CapotortoMac is the ambitious, overbearing, irresistible oldest of three brothers who struggle against all odds to scrape together enough money to start their own business in Queens, New York.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsDanny AielloOssie DavisRuby DeeOn the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.
- DirectorCampbell ScottStanley TucciStarsTony ShalhoubStanley TucciMarc AnthonyNew Jersey, 1950s. Two brothers run an Italian restaurant. Business is not going well as a rival Italian restaurant is out-competing them. In a final effort to save the restaurant, the brothers plan to put on an evening of incredible food.
- DirectorLawrence KasdanStarsKevin KlineTracey UllmanWilliam HurtJoey Boca (Kevin Kline) owns a pizza parlor, and is married to Rosalie (Tracey Ullman). He's also a serial womanizer. Rosalie goes to extremes when she finds he has been cheating.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsHarvey KeitelZina BethuneAnne ColletteA young man can't accept the girl he likes because of her bitter past.
- DirectorEmanuele CrialeseStarsCharlotte GainsbourgVincenzo AmatoVincent SchiavelliA Sicilian peasant begins the journey to the promised land and meets a beautiful Englishwoman. But neither is prepared for the harsh realities of Ellis Island. Can they make it through the golden door to the America of their dreams?
- DirectorRobert MulliganStarsPaul SorvinoTony Lo BiancoRichard GereA young man is torn between following in his brothers' footsteps or striking out on his own.
- DirectorRobert M. YoungStarsTom HulceRay LiottaJamie Lee CurtisDominick and Eugene are twins, but Dominick is a little bit slow due to an accident in his youth. They live together, with Dominick working as garbage man to put Eugene through medical school. Their relationship becomes strained when Eugene must decide between his devotion to his brother, or his need to go away to complete his training. Things are also not helped by Dominick's co-worker, or Eugene's budding romance.
- DirectorJoseph Gordon-LevittStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittScarlett JohanssonJulianne MooreA New Jersey guy dedicated to his family, friends, and church, develops unrealistic expectations from watching porn and works to find happiness and intimacy with his potential true love.
- DirectorMichael Caton-JonesStarsMatthew ModineEric StoltzTate DonovanIn 1943, the crew of a B-17 based in the UK prepares for its 25th and final bombing mission over Germany before returning home to the USA.
- DirectorJohn SaylesStarsVincent SpanoTony Lo BiancoStephen MendilloAn intersecting tale with a multitude of characters living lives which, in one way or another, revolve around an old apartment block scheduled to be demolished.
- DirectorClark GreggStarsSam RockwellAnjelica HustonKelly MacdonaldA sex-addicted con-man pays for his mother's hospital bills by playing on the sympathies of those who rescue him from choking to death.
- DirectorAnnabel JankelRocky MortonStarsBob HoskinsJohn LeguizamoDennis HopperTwo Brooklyn plumbers, Mario and Luigi, must travel to another dimension to rescue a princess from the evil dictator King Koopa and stop him from taking over the world.Who said they all had to be masterpieces, eh?