Be Italian
By Dan Pellegrino
December 22, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
First and foremost, it means we have ties to the mob. I can assure you that not every family whose last name ends in a vowel has ties to a group of mobsters. Sure, there may still be some un-PC things going down in the world of hit men, but I assure you that it isn't happening as much as our screens would lead us to believe. From The Godfather ($134 million domestic) to The Sopranos, Italians are often seen shooting guns, taking hostages and eating pasta without regret. Why would our culture want to further these stereotypes? Easy. Storytelling.
Setting a story among the mob world has an enormous number of benefits. First and foremost, it presents almost every character with inner-conflict. Someone who is born into one of the "big" families must decide whether to follow in their family's footsteps, or make their own path. The basic moral dilemma is instantly apparent to the audience at hand. Furthermore, outsiders are forced to weigh the good and bad of being in a relationship with one of the family members (think Edie Falco on The Sopranos). Conflict. Conflict. Conflict. Mob connections make for a great storytelling tool, instantly recognizable.
In television and film, Italians also explore what I'd like to coin, the "I-is" dialect of speech. Recently, the HBO miniseries John Adams found acclaim based on the extraordinary writing and production value. Many scholars enjoyed the strong sense of language that the piece had to offer. Adults spoke like adults. Every bit of dialogue seemed carefully constructed, even poetic. This isn't always the case for primarily Italian-set works.
Take a look at the Italian-American themed pieces on your boobtube. Characters are either speaking in broken English or saying something along the lines of "I-is", "We's", or my personal favorite, "You's gonna aks me a question?." Sure, this sense of language is hilarious when Joe Pesci is trying to defend himself against a confused Fred Gwynne in My Cousin Vinny ($52 million domestic), but it also leads viewers to believe that we can't construct a proper sentence. One of the greatest scenes in My Cousin Vinny is when Mona Lisa Vito, played by Marisa Tomei, rattles off the specific wheel alignment of a Buick. The character surprises the audience so much by her sense of knowledge, that one can't help but laugh. It also didn't hurt that Marisa Tomei is beautiful and completely stole every scene she was in, but I digress. Italians be's speakin' better soon, we's hope.
By and large, the culture always seems to have a great sense of family in the movies. This seems true of various ethnic groups. People relate to My Big Fat Greek Wedding ($241 million domestic) because it could have easily been re-titled My Big Fat Italian Wedding. Italians are often seen at a table filled with sausage and peppers, pasta and garlic bread, but it isn't about the food. Every time you see Tony Soprano breaking bread at a table, you see family and friends in tow. It's the sense of "when you're in, you're in." Viewers saw this firsthand in the popular Bravo franchise, Real Housewives of New Jersey.
Set among the rich housewives of Jersey, this season portrayed an Italian-American family who was selective in their inner-circle. Some table fighting and "bubbies" later, and we see how tight-knit a family can be to protect their own. The housewives were like a tigers in the jungle, protecting their young from enemies (complete with a tight leopard prints hiding their surgically-enhanced chests). While there was also some stripping, drug usage and plastic surgery, the main theme was apparent - family and food.
Italian women are not protecting their circle quietly, though. They are doing it loud and proud. Currently, Drea de Matteo is showing us this in all her network television glory. As the newest Italian housewife on Desperate Housewives, she is the character that seems most uninhibited. Sure, viewers are still left in the dark about her secret, but her dialogue is tough and about as slang-like as you can get on ABC. The loud and outspoken female role can even be seen on such light fare as The Golden Girls. Dorothy and Sophia Petrillo were tough Italian women who were rarely found in the shadows of their male counterparts.
So how do Caucasians view Italian-male counterparts? As better lovers. On an episode of 30 Rock, Alec Baldwin's character recalls his mother telling him as a boy that it is only Italians who use their tongues when kissing. Perhaps he wasn't saying that Italians are better, but it is a conclusion that I am making. At the very least, Baldwin was making reference to the romantic and uninhibited nature of the culture. It seems the greatest writer of all-time agreed with this notion, as William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet found the male lead wooing Juliet in the city of Verona.
Aside from the obvious Shakespeare tales, Some of the greatest love stories are fantasies of people being swept off their feet by an Italian. Gilles Marini rose to fame as the object of Kim Cattrall's affection in the Sex and the City movie ($152 million domestic), and more recently courting Rachel Griffith's character on Brothers and Sisters. Even Lizzie McGuire ($42 million domestic) swooned during her big screen outing when a trip to Italy led to a romance with a European pop star named Paulo. Perhaps my knowledge of the Lizzie McGuire franchise is helping dispel the notion that my people are sensual lovers, but once again, I digress.
As Nine rolls out the red carpet and begins its race to the Best Picture finish line at the Academy Awards, take the time to see how your favorite television shows and film portray the Italian culture. For every Jersey Shore showing young people drinking and sexting, we have a Lizzie McGuire portraying my kind as dreamlike and romantic. Many are calling for Jersey Shore to be removed from the air. The problem is if we keep watering down our art to avoid stereotypes, what kind of art will we have? Isn't the whole point of art to evoke emotion from the audience? It seems to me that people get so upset so often, that we will eventually see nothing and have nothing that challenges us as viewers.
It is also important for everyone to decide for himself or herself what it is they want to enjoy. For every person who is offended by the mob nature of The Sopranos, there is another ten who are inspired by its brilliance. In the end, good storytelling will prevail. Time will tell if Nine succeeds in promoting any of the positive or negative stereotypes of my culture. Either way, this holiday season I will be among family and friends, eating too much, talking loudly and loving hard. Living la Bella Vita. Oh, and I'll probably enjoy one of MTV's inevitable marathons of Jersey Shore.