Awful in a good way?  Or awful in a bad way?  I can’t settle on a definitive answer and it’s likely that audience opinion will vary widely.  Australian Toni Collette (Muriel’s Wedding) steps into the shoes of Kristin, a mum going through a rough trot.  Her son just headed off to college (tears were shed), her husband has been sleeping with the school guidance counsellor, and her work at a big pharmaceutical company isn’t providing the satisfaction it once did.

To add further drama, Kristin learns her grandfather just passed away in Italy and she is named in his will as executor – a stunning surprise given the pair were never close and she has minimal contact with that side of her extended family.  Spurred on by the advice of a friend, Kristin tries to spin these events into a positive.  She’ll travel to the southern Italian region of Calabria, mourn for a day or so, and then go on an Eat Pray Love-style adventure to brighten things up.

As the film’s title suggests, things don’t go to script.  It turns out her grandfather was the head of a powerful Mafia family involved in a range of illegal activities including drugs, guns, and prostitution.  Kristin has been appointed as the new leader, much to the disgust of everyone, and she must start negotiating a truce with a rival group who have engaged in a territorial “turf war”.  She has absolutely no idea what she’s doing (she hasn’t even watched The Godfather before) and so what follows is a light-weight comedy where she clumsily bumbles her way through each dangerous situation.

It’s a farcical narrative where characters don’t stay true to themselves.  There are moments where Kristin is a panicking mum who fears for safety and wants to escape back home… and there are moments when she’s a horny, food-loving woman taking insane risks to hook up with guys she’s just met.  It’s a film that must be embraced as spoof for any chance of enjoying.  This is evident from Toni Collette’s lead performance who is insanely over-the-top with every emotional turn.

Some jokes are miles from hitting the mark.  A great example is a silly work Zoom call which drags on too long.  The shootouts and other scenes are also uninspired.  There’s a laughable sequence early in the film where a slomo shot of a calm, walking Kristin (an explosion is taking place in the background) is intermingled with regular-paced shots of a running, terrified Kristin.  Was it meant to be satire?  Or did director Catherine Hardwick (Twilight) struggle to edit everything together on a tight budget?

The film is not a total write-off.  A few laughs can be found from Toni Collette’s lead performance who is insanely over-the-top with every emotional turn.  Combining Under the Tuscan Sun and The Godfather (never thought I’d ever say that), Mafia Mamma is messy entertainment.