Jake (Jay Jablonski) is still stuck on his old, Italian-American girlfriend. Nevermind that she married someone else eight years ago, after Jake cheated on her, and has had three children. Jake still shows up at her apartment with flowers and his declarations of love. This not only annoys his ex and her family, but nearly everyone Jake knows. From his florist, Theresa (Penny Marshall) to his fellow workers at a fish market, Jake is constantly urged to "move on" in the romance department. Most of the market's employees are Italian but Jake is not, having inherited the fishy place from his deceased, Polish-American parents. One night, one of the guys spies a beautiful woman, Marisa (Cerisa Vincent) and invites her to the next Italian club dance to meet Jake. Although she tries to tell him that she is not Italian, he doesn't listen. Later, this man urges Jake to attend the dance and pretend that HE, Jake, is Italian as well, to impress Marisa. Very reluctantly, Jake agrees. Well, well, the two really do seem to have eyes for each other, although Jake makes no bones about telling Marisa that he is already "involved" with someone else. For a quick revenge, Marisa runs up the restaurant bill on their first date! Ha ha. However, the two decide to become "just friends" and pal around together as running companions, etc. What follows is a romantic cat-and-mouse game, especially since Jake's ex does appear to be casting eyes at him again. Will Jake and Marisa realize they are meant for each other and will it matter when they both find out that neither of them is Italian? This is an extremely enjoyable and clever romantic comedy set in a lovely old neighborhood in Boston. The cast is delightful, although few of them are familiar to most audiences. The two leads, Jablonski and Vincent, are very attractive and winning while the Italian-heritaged workers of the fish market are a stitch and more. Costumes are also lovely, with Vincent looking sharp at every turn. Yes, occasionally, the situations become slightly risqué and the language a bit salty. But, overall, with its very funny script and well-paced, secure direction, this is a true gem for nearly everybody, Italian or not. Want to laugh tonight, folks? Search high and low for this very good film.
Review of Everybody Wants to Be Italian
