Married to the Mob Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Married to the Mob Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 3, 2023

Radiance Films is a new distributor founded by Francesco Simeoni, a name diehard physical media collectors may recognize from his long tenure at Arrow Video. Radiance's PR firm has sent check discs of several of Radiance's first releases, though not all of them, and the ones that have been sent are pretty much exact copies of the Fun City Editions that have been released in Region A (these discs are Region B locked). That includes what may be a perplexing "FBI warning" for British citizens considering illegal bootlegs.

For anyone wanting a plot recap, Brian Orndorf has actually reviewed Married to the Mob twice. In 2014, Brian reviewed the Kino Lorber Blu-ray, and just a few months ago, he reviewed Fun City's release. I often repeat the mantra "different reviewers means different opinions", which may indeed be the case again here, though kind of humorously, in this particular instance if you read Brian's comments in his Fun City review about the technical aspects, you might come to the conclusion that the "same reviewer means different opinions" when that reviewer is coming back to a release already reviewed, or comparing a contemporary understanding to an older transfer. Brian's Fun City review will be especially helpful in terms of screenshot comparisons and information on the supplements.

Married to the Mob Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Married to the Mob is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films and Fun City Editions with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Brian's two reviews give good overviews of both presentations and I highly recommend those interested to read Brian's analyses. I am absolutely in agreement with his comment that sometimes when we reviewers come back to a title we've reviewed many years previously, we probably wouldn't be giving the same score given "modern" assessments. That said, I may be a bit more pleased with this particular presentation than Brian was, but that said, I never saw the Kino Lorber presentation. As Brian mentions in his review, the palette here is rather nicely robust, at least once you get past the optically printed credits sequence, which is a bit brown and dowdy looking. There are occasional variances in color temperature which suggest to me parts of the interpositive may have faded somewhat. I found grain resolution to be more organic looking than Brian evidently did.

Married to the Mob Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Married to the Mob features LPCM 2.0 audio which I have to assume more or less duplicates the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track on the Region A disc (it does strike me as a bit odd that this basic "carbon [or silicon] copy" of the Region A disc would have a different audio codec). The film's boisterous soundtrack is presented with nice fluidity and some appealing dynamic range, and dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Married to the Mob Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This seems to be the exact same disc that Fun City Editions put out for Region A, down to and including the Fun City branding. Brian's review of the Fun City release has more information on these supplements, for anyone who might be interested:

• Audio Commentary with Millie De Chirico and Danielle Henderson


• Writing Married to the Mob (HD; 32:10 )


• It Barreled Into My Life (HD; 28:53) is an interview with actress Mercedes Ruehl.


• A Simple Enjoyment of Life (HD; 21:43) is an interview with actor Matthew Modine.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:09)


• Still Gallery (HD; 4:43)

Radiance's PR firm only sent a check disc for purposes of this review, and so I can't comment on packaging or any items like insert booklets, though I assume this release will have one.

Married to the Mob Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Married to the Mob is a genial, often quite funny, deconstruction of a "crime family" movie. The eclectic cast is wonderful, and the writing is often sharp, if exaggerated. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.