RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Everybody Wants to Be Italian
Everybody Wants to Be Italian

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Everybody Wants to Be Italian (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
10 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:21

Fresh:2

Rotten:19

Average Rating:3.5/10

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for some sexual references.

Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Sep 5, 2008 Limited

Box Office: $322,039

Synopsis: Fishmonger Jake Bianski (Jay Jablonski) has a bit of a problem. He's madly in love with his teenage sweetheart, Isabella (Marisa Petroro)--even though they broke up eight years before and she is... Fishmonger Jake Bianski (Jay Jablonski) has a bit of a problem. He's madly in love with his teenage sweetheart, Isabella (Marisa Petroro)--even though they broke up eight years before and she is now married with three kids. But just as he does every year on their "anniversary," he shows up at her doorstep with flowers, and an engagement ring, wearing a new suit, begging her to come back to him. The workers at his fish store in Boston's North End--Steve Bottino (John Kapelos), Gianluca Tempesti (John Enos III), and Aldo "Papa" Tempesti (Richard Libertini)--offer him constant advice, trying to get Jake to give up on Isabella and find a new girl. They fix him up on a blind date with veterinarian Marisa Costa (Cerina Vincent) at an Italian singles night, where both Jake and Marisa pretend to be Italian in order to attract each other. But their first real date is a disaster, with Jake talking nonstop about his girlfriend, as if Isabella is still a part of his life. Nonetheless, Jake and Marisa start becoming friends, but things get complicated when they consider something more--as does Isabella. Writer-director Jason Todd Ipson's second feature film--following 2006's horror film, UNREST, which also starred Jablonski and Petroro--is a heartfelt romantic comedy about love and trust and about grasping life's opportunities. Scream queen Vincent (CABIN FEVER) plays Marisa with an endearing sweetness, while Jablonski manages to make Jake charming despite the character's many serious flaws. But it's Kapelos, Enos III, and the always great Libertini who drive the film as the three very funny wise men--especially Kapelos (THE BREAKFAST CLUB) as Steve, a gruff fish guy studying for his doctorate in psychology with an opinion on just about everything. [More]

Starring: Jay Jablonski, Cerina Vincent, John Kapelos, John Enos

Starring: Jay Jablonski, Cerina Vincent, John Kapelos, John Enos, Richard Libertini, Marisa Petroro, Penny Marshall, Dan Cortese, Perry Anzilotti, Anthony Russell

Director: Jason Todd Ipson

Director: Jason Todd Ipson
Screenwriter: Jason Todd Ipson
Producer: Jaime Burke, James Huntsman
Composer: Michael Cohen
Studio: Asgaard Entertainment

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Trailer
    >
1 of 1

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Feb 3, 2009

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Everybody Wants to Be Italian

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

While not being entirely original or clever in its exploration of modern Italian culture, it's a light-hearted film which delivers just enough giggles to keep it upbeat and kind of cute.

Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | comment Comment
07/03/09
Marina Pliatsikas
Marina Pliatsikas
FILMINK (Australia)

It's all a bit offbeat and as a consequence we are more than ready to chuckle and open up our hearts

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
06/27/09
Louise Keller
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile

Instead of making a likeable main character, the filmmakers give us the egotistical, brash, rude and obnoxious character of Jake.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
04/18/09
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

This lame-brain romantic comedy strives hard for a shambling charm, but is unlikely to prove appealing to even the most undemanding of audiences.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
09/08/08
Frank Scheck
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A dreadful romantic comedy with totally unappealing characters.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
09/06/08
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

If you thought the ethnic stereotyping in My Big Fat Greek Wedding was bad, this charmless romantic comedy will drive you to despair.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
09/05/08
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

[Sets] up hackneyed relationships, conflicts and resolutions with such a lack of imagination and subtlety that paying attention to narrative particulars quickly becomes a waste of time.

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
09/05/08
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Cinematical

The film is a reminder why romantic comedies have died off so much in recent years.

Full Review Source: Paste Magazine | comment Comment
09/05/08
Sean Gandert
Sean Gandert
Paste Magazine

A box of cannoli long past its sell-by date.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
09/05/08
Justin Chang
Justin Chang
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Writer-director Jason Todd Ipson's romantic comedy is so awash in tired ethnic clichés that the story drowns.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
09/05/08
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Full of clunky humor, battle-of-the-sexes musings and spicy accordion music, Everybody Wants to Be Italian is relentless -- but not necessarily relentless fun.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
09/05/08
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Constructed out of tired jokes, vaguely familiar actors and a few forced and predictable situations, it's strictly a harmless place-filler.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
09/05/08
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film plays out pretty much exactly as you would expect -- which won't bother some people one iota.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
09/05/08
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

With a title like this, shouldn't Jason Todd Ipson's comedy celebrate Italian culture? Instead, it aggressively insults the heritage it pretends to admire.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
09/05/08
Elizabeth Weitzman
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

How atrocious is the comedy Everybody Wants to Be Italian? Let me count the ways.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
09/05/08
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's pretty obvious. Everybody Wants to Be Italian wants to be the next My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Unfortunately, it doesn't have nearly as much charm as the 2002 sleeper. In fact, Italian doesn't have much charm to it at all.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
09/04/08
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Beantown provides a salty backdrop, but when the action shifts to Italy, it seems the budget didn’t include airfares.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
09/04/08
Anna King
Anna King
Time Out New York

Romantic comedies don't always have the strongest concepts, but Everybody Wants to Be Italian begins with what barely qualifies as an idea.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
09/04/08
Rafer Guzman
Rafer Guzman
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Maybe if Everybody Wants To Be Italian were even intermittently funny, the stereotypes wouldn’t matter.

Full Review Source: New York Press | comment Comment
09/03/08
Mark Peikert
Mark Peikert
New York Press

If Italians had their own term for 'schmaltzy', this awful, derivative and painfully cringeworthy piece of steaming crap would be the most loathsome example of such an adjective.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment 1 Comment
09/02/08
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for Everybody Wants to Be Italian

September 04, 2008: Box Office Guru Preview: Cage Offers One Night in Bangkok
Multiplexes will be filled this weekend...with tumbleweeds. The frame after the Labor Day holiday is often the worst-performing session of the whole year at the box office and... More...

July 27, 2008: Trailer & Poster review. Opens in new window
More...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
40% 40% Surrogates
83% 83% Whip It
29% 29% Gamer
97% 97% The Hurt Locker
81% 81% Michael Jackson's This…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
87% 87% A Serious Man
37% 37% The Time Traveler's Wife
78% 78% Bronson
11% 11% The Stepfather

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Runaways Pictures

Runaways Pictures

Run away with Kristen and Dakota!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Tom Cruise Accepts Another Mission: Impossible Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
38
  • Chris Nolan on Board for Dark Knight Sequel -- and Superman Reboot? Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
267
  • Tim Robbins Joins Green Lantern Source: Hollywood Reporter
58
  • Fox Moves Forward with 24 Movie Source: HitFix
8
  • Bill Murray Talks Ghostbusters III Source: Sunday Mail [UK]
56
  • Captain America News, News, and More News Source: Collider.com
20
  • Taylor Lautner Is Stretch Armstrong Source: MTV
78
  • Weekly Ketchup: Sci-Fi at the Oscars, Raimi eyes The Shadow
288
  • Percy Jackson Star (Briefly) Rumored for Spider-Man Reboot Source: Hollywood Reporter
35
  • Five Facts About Alice in Wonderland
140
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Jeff Bridges' Best Movies
114
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Avatar Finally Toppled by Dear John
104
  • Weekly Ketchup: Sci-Fi at the Oscars, Raimi eyes The Shadow
96
  • Five Favorite Films With Precious' Gabby Sidibe
35
  • Friday Harvest: The Last Airbender, The A-Team, and more!
27
  • Critics Consensus: From Paris With Love Is Not Bon
22
  • Total Recall: Anthony Hopkins' Best Movies
20
  • Five Favourite Films with Anika Noni Rose
17
  • Awards Tour: Pixar and Disney Rule The Annies
15
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: A Serious Man, Couples Retreat, and More
10
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Oscar Nominee Gabby Sidibe Talks Precious
20
  • One Man's Quest To Find The Worst Movie Ever
7
  • Five Favorite Films With Peter Jackson
77
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
22
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
3
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
13
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
24
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
16
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Everybody Wants to Be Italian at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Everybody Wants to Be Italian at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
Celebrity Yearbook Photos
Celebrity Yearbook Photos External Link

Check out PopEater's collection of childhood photos of celebs, from Tom Cruise to Kim Kardashian.

Who Will Win the Oscars?
Who Will Win the Oscars? External Link

TIME's Richard Corliss pores over the Oscar noms for the major awards and offers his take on who will win.

Oscar Fever = Terminal Illness?
Oscar Fever = Terminal Illness? External Link

For a different take, the AV Club delves into why awards season is terrible.

Who's the Razziest?
Who's the Razziest? External Link

Moviefone has put together a list of the actors with the most Razzie noms ever.

Mass Effect Movie?
Mass Effect Movie? External Link

Hollywood.com makes a case for a big screen adaptation of popular game Mass Effect.

Promos
Get the Flixster App Now!
Get the Flixster App Now! External Link

Download it from iTunes and get Tomatometer scores straight to your iPhone!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo
About Us | Advertise | Contact Us | Press | Careers
IGN | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | Direct2Drive | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Game Sites | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | GIGA.DE | What They Play | Battlefield Heroes
By continuing past this page, and by your continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2010, IGN Entertainment, Inc. | Support | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! RSS Feeds
IGN’s enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA.
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.