Dir. Donald Coutts, 2002, UK, Drama/Crime/Comedy, 97mins
Cast:
Dan Hedaya, Danny Nucci, Gerald Lepkowski, Shirley Henderson
Review by Eleri Evans
American Cousins is a sensitive, sweet and sour story about love, family and tradition. Set in the unlikely Glasgow, the remnants of an Italian family struggle to keep their chip shop and ice-cream parlor open under heavy opposition from the local mobsters. Trying to keep his father's memory alive and stay true to his roots, Roberto (Lepkowski) suffers quietly under their constant threats. Suffering equally quietly a secret love for his recently divorced 'assistant manager' Alice (Henderson), it begins to look like he could loose everything. Meanwhile in deepest darkest Ukraine the mafia end of the family gets into a bit of trouble. Unable to go straight home to America for fear of being found by the Ukraine mob, they stop-off with their British cousins. Suspicious of their American cousins, the Glaswegians non-the-less welcome these long lost family members into their home unaware that they are being used as a hide out. Appearing at first to have nothing in common, the family slowly begins to piece together family history and come to realize that they are not as different from each other as they thought. Things in the neighborhood take an interesting turn as Cousin Gino (Nucci) gets involved in Roberto's affairs like only he knows how.
There seems to be an effortlessness about the way this engaging story is told and how it effects you. There is nothing contrived about it, it doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't and the overall effect cuts short of the treacle endings many romantic comedies seem to betray themselves with. A beautiful soundtrack full of Italian classic popular songs adds to the sentimental feeling and the sense of history and culture as well as acting as a contrast to their Scottish surroundings and their foreign cousins. Altogether it is often a most bizarre mix of identities, cultures, noises, tastes and feelings. This film is a tribute to the 'Italian out of Italy' and questions whether it is possible to maintain your heritage when you're out of your element, whether as a Glaswegian or an American. The overwhelming answer in the film is yes. The common ground that these apparently alien cultures find is in their roots and identities as Italians. Most of the humor of the film is derived from the attempts at introducing the cousins to the ways of Scotland, an idea with endless possibilities that anyone who's spent time with an American in Britain can only be too aware of! Alice's character (beautifully acted by the ever charming Shirley Henderson) is carefully crafted to engage the audience to the film as she watches, as an outsider herself, the cultural conflicts of the new extended family. It's an altogether well weighed script balancing humor with emotion and drama with action, all of which is well executed by a solid cast and crew. It's one of those films that you feel sure the whole team became the best of friends by the end of filming - it glows with energy and personality.
For me the opening sequence of the film is like the experience of the film itself. Roberto moulds an ice cream Sundae topped with excessive cherries and indulgent cream and we watch as it is devoured by an adoring young girl. It's good to indulge your taste buds sometimes and this film is sure to satisfy.
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