Mickey Blue Eyes
| Mickey Blue Eyes | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Kelly Makin |
| Produced by | Elizabeth Hurley Andrew Scheinman[1] Charles Mulvehill |
| Written by | Adam Scheinman Robert Kuhn |
| Starring | Hugh Grant James Caan Jeanne Tripplehorn |
| Music by | Basil Poledouris |
| Cinematography | Donald E. Thorin |
| Editing by | David Freeman |
| Studio | Castle Rock Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. (US) Polygram Filmed Entertainment (Now Universal Pictures) (UK) |
| Release date(s) | August 17, 1999 |
| Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $75,000,000[2] |
| Box office | $54,264,342[2] |
Mickey Blue Eyes is a 1999 film directed by Kelly Makin. Hugh Grant stars as Michael Felgate, an English auctioneer living in New York City who becomes entangled in his soon-to-be father in-law's mafia connections. Several of the minor roles are played by actors later featured in The Sopranos TV gangster series.
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[edit] Plot
When Michael Felgate (Hugh Grant), a British auctioneer, proposes marriage to his girlfriend Gina Vitale (Jeanne Tripplehorn), he is shocked to be turned down. Gina later tearfully explains that her father Frank (James Caan) and most of her cousins and uncles are gangsters deeply involved in a Mafia crime family, and she is worried that Michael may be sucked into their world. Michael retorts that he will not let this happen, but barely is their engagement party over before he is unwittingly involved in a money laundering scam, and soon the FBI takes an interest in him.
When one of the money laundering scams at Michael's auction house goes wrong, Gina's cousin Johnny (John Ventimiglia) confronts and assaults Michael. Gina fires a warning shot into the ceiling which ricochets and accidentally kills Johnny. When Johnny's father Vito finds out, he tells Frank he will kill Gina unless Frank kills Michael during his wedding speech. Unable to carry out the deed, Frank confesses what Vito has ordered him to do to Michael and the two of them turn to the FBI in return for protection. The FBI set up an elaborate operation in which Michael's execution will be faked at the wedding reception. Michael is given a hidden recording device and is tasked with trying to record Vito into admitting his criminal activity on tape before he is "executed".
Michael's plan fails, and when Vito realises that his execution is a set-up he orders Vinnie (Joe Viterelli) to kill Michael. Vinnie shoots Gina in what appears to be an accident. Vito is arrested for ordering Michael's execution. As Frank and Michael mourn Gina's apparent death in the back of her ambulance it is revealed that her death was faked as well, and that Vinnie and Gina were also involved with the FBI as a back-up plan.
The films title comes from Michael being forced to impersonate a gangster, who Frank names "Kansas City Little Big Mickey Blue Eyes".
[edit] Cast
- Hugh Grant as Michael Felgate
- James Caan as Frank Vitale
- Jeanne Tripplehorn as Gina Vitale
- Burt Young as Vito Graziosi
- James Fox as Philip Cromwell
- Joe Viterelli as Vinnie D'Agostino
- Gerry Becker as FBI Agent Bob Connell
- Maddie Corman as Carol
- Tony Darrow as Angelo
- Paul Lazar as Ritchie Vitale
- Vincent Pastore as Al
- Frank Pellegrino as Sante
- Scott Thompson as FBI Agent Lewis
- John Ventimiglia as Johnny Graziosi
- Margaret Devine as Helen, Michael's assistant
[edit] Reception
The film earned $10,178,289 on its opening weekend, and went on to gross $33,864,342 in the US and a total of $54,264,342 worldwide.
Reviews of the film were mixed. It currently holds a 45% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 76 reviews (34 positive, 42 negative).[3]
[edit] See also
- Vincent Alo, a real-life gangster known as "Jimmy Blue Eyes"
[edit] References
- ^ "Hugh Grant is feeling 'Blue'". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9908/18/hugh.grant/. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
- ^ a b "Mickey Blue Eyes". Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=mickeyblueeyes.htm. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- ^ "Mickey Blue Eyes". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mickey_blue_eyes/. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Mickey Blue Eyes at the Internet Movie Database
- Mickey Blue Eyes at the TCM Movie Database
- Mickey Blue Eyes at AllRovi
- Mickey Blue Eyes at Rotten Tomatoes
- Mickey Blue Eyes at Box Office Mojo
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