Do you remember growing up and learning about the world and seeing many things for the first time? This is where you see your father teaching you the many experiences he faced throughout his life and now he is sharing these treasures with you. For most young men you see your father as a hero and master of all traits and a provider of all knowledge.
As for Sebastian Maniscalco (Sebastian Maniscalco), this is all true but as he grows up the world gets much larger and his father Salvo Maniscalco (Robert De Niro), is still important, but now he is seeing things in a much more different way. His father was an immigrant from Sicily, a region of the southernmost part of Italy and always stressed that they needed to be careful because who is the first to get blamed for trouble? The Immigrants! Living on his own and now running a hotel in Chicago, Sebastian starts to see things differently than he did as a child. He begins to find new worlds from other people and that opens Sebastian’s eyes to many new things. This is where he meets Ellie Collins (Leslie Bibb), his possible future wife and the new adventure in his life.
Sebastian wants to ask Ellie for her hand in marriage, but doesn’t quite know where and when. He seems to have become worried about what his father will think and if Ellie’s family will approve of him. Then the opportunity of a lifetime occurs, he and Ellie are invited to her parents Summer cottage. Since Ellie’s family does come from money, the intimation begins. Stuck between trying to get his father to approve of Ellie and her family and Ellie’s family to approve of him, things get interesting when Ellie decides that Sebastian should invite his father to meet her parents, Bill Collins (David Rasche), Ellie’s father and Senator Tigger Collins (Kim Cattrall), Ellie’s mother. Things get even more interesting when Sebastian gets to officially meet Ellie’s brothers, Lucky Collins (Anders Holm), and Doug Collins (Brett Dier).
Director Laura Terruso brings a hilarious story that depicts a son’s understanding of his father. While growing up your Dad is everything and when you are older everything he does can be too much. Laura goes a long way to create this relationship between Sebastian and Salvo. Now she has to show how these interesting characters will relate with the wealthy side of the world. She puts together a funny mini rollercoaster ride of fun and a journey that eventually leads to an interesting end. This wonderful entertaining comedy goes a long way to show the relationships of these personalities and makes it fun for everyone.
Final Comment: I based my grade on comical storyline and the amusing relationship between the characters.
Stars 3.5 out of 5
Additional Film Information
Cast: Robert De Niro, Sebastian Maniscalco, Leslie Bibb, David Rasche, Anders Holm, Brett Dier, and Kim Cattrall
Directed by: Laura Terruso
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for suggestive material, language and partial nudity.
Running Time: 1 hour and 29 minutes
Release Date: May 26, 2023
Distributed By: Lionsgate
Release In: Standard
