TORONTO – Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco’s autobiographical film About My Father was just added to Netflix Canada this month – a story about families meeting. For those unfamiliar with Maniscalco’s comedy, one of the mainstays of his act involves jokes about how his antiquated father raised him. From descriptions of being put through “slave labour” as a child, to his dad killing garden pests with antifreeze, Sebastian’s father is rarely spared his blushes during the act. It’s edgy, irreverent, but always delivered with love.
Maniscalco’s comedy so resonated with audiences that in 2019 he was named the fifth highest paid Comic in America by Forbes. His estimated annual earning was $26 million, and has since secured residency at the Las Vegas Wynn. Not to mention he’s set gate records at sports arenas across North America including iconic venues like Madison Square Garden, United Center and Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena to name a few.
So how did Maniscalco, the man New York Times called “The Hottest Comic in America”, manage to fumble a film about his life so badly? The review aggregator “Rotten Tomatoes” scored it a 37%, which on its own doesn’t mean much – since film critics [these days] are as ideologically captured as the “unbiased” legacy news media. But box office numbers don’t lie. The film recorded a net loss after bombing in theatres, taking home a mere $18 million – with a budget of $26 million.
While there are distribution and marketing teams who compile multi-varied analyses of a film’s shortcomings, the answer is usually evident before a camera is even turned on. Simply put, the script strayed from the source: Maniscalco’s comedy and life. For starters, Maniscalco brought in Austen Earl, a CBS showrunner known for writing “Happy Together”, a sitcom with low ratings that was cancelled after its first season.
Then there’s the film’s Director, Laura Terruso – a graduate of NYU film school who scripted the 2015 coming of age Romantic Comedy Hello My Name is Doris (starring Sally Field). Her resume includes films about lesbian Aliens, high school girl potheads and dance competitions. All of this is well and good, accept it’s hard to imagine why Maniscalco would’ve connected any of it to his comedy, starring DeNiro.
About My Father does have an earnest message about the importance of family, and some relatable fish-out-of-water moments. But what it severely lacks is a love for Sebastian’s Italian heritage – something he talks about in his specials. Contrastingly in the film, Sebastian’s character is desperate for the approval of his “classy” American in-laws.
Here’s where Italian-Americans and some Italians could take another lesson from the Greeks – who unabashedly an unapologetically love their culture. When Nia Vardalos made her hit film Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), it was Toula’s American boyfriend who had to win the approval of her Greek family. Call me old fashioned, but with a history like Italy’s why are we continuously subjected to films about Italians being embarrassed of their heritage? The Roman Empire spanned across nearly 50 modern-day countries. And it was Caterina de’Medici who taught the “sophisticated” French to use forks. Hey Italians: It’s okay to be proud.
In the pics above: a scene from “About My Father” and the movie poster
Massimo Volpe is a filmmaker and freelance writer from Toronto: he writes reviews of Italian films/content on Netflix
