Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Little Italy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 2, 2019

Director Donald Petrie has been here before. 30 years ago, he helmed “Mystic Pizza,” a low-key dramedy about life around a pizzeria that co-starred Julia Roberts. And now there’s “Little Italy,” another dramedy about life around a pizzeria (two of them to be specific), and this one offers Julia’s niece, Emma Roberts, as one of its main attractions. Perhaps Petrie is trying his luck again after striking out with many duds (“My Life in Ruins,” “Just My Luck,” “Welcome to Mooseport”), but he’s an impossibly bland filmmaker, and “Little Italy” is another offering from his creative kitchen that has no discernable flavor. 1988 can only happen once, leaving Petrie struggling to do something with his latest endeavor, which plays everything so safely, it’s exhausting long before it’s obnoxious.

In Little Italy, Sal (Adam Ferrara) and Vince (Gary Basaraba) were partners in Pizza Napoli, a popular restaurant that brought harmony to the neighborhood. Today, the men are enemies, keeping up a family feud that’s created two separate pizzerias. Vince’s son, Leo (Hayden Christensen), remains in the family business, but he’s ready to break free from tradition, experimenting with his own recipes, with secret dreams to open his own restaurant. Sal’s daughter, Nikki (Emma Roberts), has just returned home after a five-year stint in culinary school, spending a week before she returns to Europe to work with master chef, Corrine (Jane Seymour). Childhood friends and near-miss lovers, Nikki is excited to see Leo again, rekindling feelings that were lost to time. However, Leo’s interest in a reunion is challenged by his dedication to the neighborhood, a girlfriend, and his family, while Nikki isn’t sure her heart can take another break-up, creating new tensions between the pizzerias that can only be settled with a competition for the best pie.

The screenplay (by Steve Galluccio and Vinay Virmani) endeavors to create a separate world for “Little Italy,” with neighborhood history established by Nikki and Leo, who were raised together, building a relationship that’s easy with conversation and heavy with competition, as Nikki is always on the hunt for dominance. They were basically raised in a pizzeria, and the writing strives to use the “Romeo and Juliet” template for their relationship, finding the families divided long ago, making the union between the younger generation troubling for the adults. “Little Italy” creates a sense of life for both sides of the battle, but it’s an exaggerated depiction of Italian culture, aiming for the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” level of cartooning to best keep itself lovable, with Nikki and Leo the most grounded of the gangs while the adults run around in big makeup (Alyssa Milano portrays Nikki’s mother) and broad gesturing, keeping the “mamma mia!” spirit alive. And if Italian stereotypes are a problem, wait until you see what the production does with South Asian characters, including deliveryman Jogi (Vas Saranga) and rival Jesse (Amrit Kaur), who are subjected to Mumbai one-liners and curry references within the first minute of their arrival.

“Little Italy” is meant to be a love story, as Nikki’s return to the community for a weeklong stay stirs up old attraction to Leo, with the pair restarting flirtations with a game of soccer in the rain. Leo already has a girlfriend, but Petrie isn’t too attentive to that detail, putting focus on the man’s kitchen skills, where he’s struggling to bring the family joint out of the stone age, appealing to millennials with varied flavors and pizza styles. So, he’s a good guy? It’s difficult to say, but Christensen understands the tone of the film, delivering a passable performance as he struggles to find chemistry with Roberts, who has her own charms. The grand arc of Nikki and Leo isn’t terribly compelling, working through cliches and phony setbacks. Better is the secret union of grandparents, finding Carlo (Danny Aiello) and Franca (Andrea Martin) sneaking across pizza borders to fall in love with each other and discover sugary drinks from Starbucks. It’s not much, but a little seasoning from pros like Aiello and Martin helps the cause.

Little Italy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation preserves the feature's saturated look, offering deep reds that capture the signage and heritage of the location, while also making displays of pizza and vegetables vivid. Costuming contains an appealing range of primaries, and skintones are natural. Detail is excellent, securing the textures of food and clothing, and facial surfaces are exact, highlighting aging and fine hairs. Delineation has a few struggles, with some evidence of crush coming with dense hair and darker outfits.

Little Italy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix manages the moods of "Little Italy" without disruption, Dialogue exchanges are sharp and flavorful, isolating all the cultural exaggeration for listener enjoyment. Scoring satisfies with a milder presence, while heavier soundtrack selections brighten up the energy of the feature with direct instrumentation and volume. Atmospherics are pleasant, maintaining the feel of restaurant interiors and community celebrations. Low-end isn't challenged.

Little Italy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes (11:46, HD) survey the production effort on "Little Italy" with help from cast and crew interviews, most conducted on-set. A love of the script is shared, with a brief examination of themes, finding a chance to play soft a big pull for most of the actors. Character is detailed, with most participants explored, along with the casting journey. Donald Petrie's leadership is also lauded, though curiously, the director goes on and on about "Little Italy" being a "film for all ages," yet the movie is rated R. Weird.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:32, HD) is included.

Little Italy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Little Italy" has no surprises. It's vanilla entertainment from a director who lives to make this stuff, with the story eventually reaching a Big Game finale as the families gather again to determine the best pizza in the neighborhood. And there's a break-up-to-make-up climax that's shuts down any hope for a morsel of originality. Petrie wants to make comfy sweater cinema, and there's nothing inherently wrong with that. But he often makes dull, unfunny, and cold pictures, with "Little Italy" dragging from the start, doing nothing with its collection of exaggerations, and it somehow makes pizza look unappetizing.