# Are there any movies about Italian-Americans that don't involve the Mafia or "guido" stereotypes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 12, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947 "2014-04-12T18:00:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/1 "2014-04-12T18:00:35Z")
I recently re-watched this movie on HBO. I remember feeling “meh” about it back when I first saw it in the theater. But now that I’m older and less bothered by sexual content, I actually enjoyed it. It had a lot going on in it (morality, loyalty, identity, homophobia, peer pressure, mob mentality, paranoia, xenophobia, racism, etc.) in addition to the thriller/horror bit. Plus, the soundtrack was right up my alley. I loved seeing John Leguizamo dance! But although the plot itself isn’t standard and Lee balances out the Italian stuff with plenty of scenes of black people rioting, it’s just another “Italian New Yorkers are all violent, misogynistic, foul-mouthed greaseballs” flick. I’ll cop to enjoying these kinds of movies. But I imagine they must grate the nerves of those who wish for more positive portrayals. Are there any films set in NYC about Italian Americans that aren’t like this? ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/2 "2014-04-12T18:26:17Z")
Maybe I’ve missed something but it looks like you’re thinking of a specific film and have forgotten to mention the title. How about “Saturday Night Fever”? ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/3 "2014-04-12T18:34:00Z")
Karate Kid and Moonstruck are the first two that come to my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/4 "2014-04-12T18:34:33Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > Maybe I’ve missed something but it looks like you’re thinking of a specific film and have forgotten to mention the title. The OP is talking about _Do the Right Thing_. I’d suggest _Moonstruck_ as an example of the kind of movie the OP is looking for. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/5 "2014-04-12T18:34:59Z")
Ooops! The movie I just watched was the “Summer of Sam”. Sorry! ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/6 "2014-04-12T18:42:38Z")
One of my favorites - _Big Night_ > **[Big Night (1996) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115678/)** > > Big Night: Directed by Campbell Scott, Stanley Tucci. With Marc Anthony, Tony Shalhoub, Stanley Tucci, Larry Block. New Jersey, 1950s. Two brothers run an Italian restaurant. Business is not going well as a rival Italian restaurant is out-competing... ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/7 "2014-04-12T18:46:07Z")
Little Nemo, John Leguizamo wasn’t in **Do The Right Thing**. I know, I just spent 15 minutes going through his filmography trying to figure out what movie was being referenced. I finally figured out it was Summer of Sam, but on preview it’s already been established. But yeah, you’d THINK Leguizamo would be in Do The Right Thing, everybody else was, but no, he was not. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/8 "2014-04-12T18:47:12Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The OP is talking about _Do the Right Thing_. That was my first guess, too, figuring that he probably meant Spike Lee, but a quick “actor + director” search pulled up “Summer of Sam,” which I haven’t seen. Edit: As \*\*Equipoise \*\*has pointed out. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/9 "2014-04-12T18:47:20Z")
I was also going to mention _Big Night_. IIRC there’s nothing about the Mafia in Lee’s _Do the Right Thing_, but it does feature an Italian family. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/10 "2014-04-12T18:52:43Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > But although the plot itself isn’t standard and Lee balances out the Italian stuff with plenty of scenes of black people rioting, it’s just another “Italian New Yorkers are all violent, misogynistic, foul-mouthed greaseballs” flick. I’ll cop to enjoying these kinds of movies. But I imagine they must grate the nerves of those who wish for more positive portrayals. > [@monstro](#): > > Ooops! The movie I just watched was the “Summer of Sam”. Sorry! I’m from the area of the Bronx where that was filmed (and where a couple the Son of Sam’s shootings occurred). I thought it was remarkable how badly Spike Lee did in depicting the Italian-American culture of the area. He was completely tone-deaf in most of the interactions. (I’m Irish-German myself, but many of my friends and in-laws are Italian Americans.) [City Island](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Island_(film)), which is set in the same general area, doesn’t involve the Mafia, although it does depicts a pretty odd and dysfunctional family. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/11 "2014-04-12T18:58:13Z")
The title is incomplete. Sorry! I meant to ask if there are any movies about Italian Americans that don’t involve the Mafia and/or don’t truck in “guido/goombah” stereotypes. Thanks for the suggestions. Keep 'em coming. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/12 "2014-04-12T19:00:43Z")
[City Island](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1174730/reference), one of my favorite movies in the past few years. Andy Garcia plays Vince Rizzo, a prison guard, excuse me, a corrections officer, who lives in the tucked-away NYC enclave with his blowsy wife Joyce (Julianna Margulies), his confused daughter Vivian (Garcia’s real-life daughter Dominik García-Lorido), and his wonderful, open-minded son Vince Jr. (Ezra Miller). Er, one of his sons, because he picks up another one at his job. Vince wants nothing more than to be an actor, but he feels he can’t tell anyone because they’d laugh at him. Also in the movie is Alan Arkin as Vince’s drama teacher (Vince tells his family he’s going out with the boys but he’s really talking acting lessons) and Emily Mortimer as his fellow student who has her own story. It’s a wonderful movie, very Italian, very NY and not a mafia goombah in any frame. On preview, FUCKING HELL, I’m giving up. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/13 "2014-04-12T19:04:34Z")
_Lorenzo’s Oil_ - the father is a professor or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/14 "2014-04-12T19:05:06Z")
Not the first ROCKY movie, but some of the sequels? ---
**Author:** ![lew\_cody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e274bd/32.png) [@lew\_cody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lew_cody)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/15 "2014-04-12T19:09:36Z")
One of the earliest feature-length films made in the US depicted an Italian-American as a crime-fighting hero: _The Adventures of Lieutenant Petrosino_ (1912) told the story of a real-life New York police detective who was killed in 1909 while investigating an extortion racket. George Beban made a career out of portraying poor but likable Italian immigrants during the 1910s and 20s. _The Italian_ (1915) is the only film of his in wide circulation, although a few more survive in archives. Dorothy Gish’s love interest in _Gretchen the Greenhorn_ (1916) is Italian-American, and other positive depictions of the time included Enrico Caruso in _My Cousin_ (1918), Alice Brady in _Little Italy_ (1921), and Rudolph Valentino in _Cobra_ (1925). Ramon Novarro’s Italian-American character in _Huddle_ (1932) was portrayed as an ultimately successful college athlete and graduate. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/16 "2014-04-12T19:09:40Z")
[The Daytrippers](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116041/reference), with Stanley Tucci and Hope Davis. Aren’t all the Rocky movies set in Philadelphia? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/17 "2014-04-12T19:13:09Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Aren’t all the Rocky movies set in Philadelphia? My mistake; I was replying to the question in the title. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/18 "2014-04-12T19:23:05Z")
Probably just observer bias. You could probably remember a lot of films about the yakuza, but with a little thought, you can think of tons of films with Japanese people without them. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/19 "2014-04-12T19:32:39Z")
[Return to Me](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122459/reference) and [I Love You To Death](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099819/reference) both have lots of Italian stereotyping with no mobsters. But I don’t think either were set in NYC. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947/20 "2014-04-12T19:41:48Z")
Wouldn’t My cousin Vinnie count? It included Marisa Tomei (swoon.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-about-italian-americans-that-dont-involve-the-mafia-or-guido-stereotypes/685947.md?page=2)