The miniskirt mob
The last time the Roxie Cinema premiered a straight-to-video film on their big screen, they ended up with "Red Rock West", one of the biggest hits in their long and distinguished history. In retrospect, it's hard to imagine how that crackerjack noir thriller, starring Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper and Lara Flynn Boyle, was ever passed over for theatrical release.
But with "Wisegirls", it's not. "Wisegirls" stars Mira Sorvino as a sad woman who relocates to New York City after a horrible tragedy in her life. She moves in with her ailing grandmother and takes a job in a high-class Italian restaurant, only to discover that the mafia is the regular clientele.
There's nothing wrong with that, but "Wisegirls" also stars pop singer Mariah Carey in a supporting role. And after the universal kiss-off that her acting debut "Glitter" received in the fall of 2001, it's no wonder that Lions Gate wimped out and took the straight-to-video route.
I never saw "Glitter", so I can't attest to Carey's performance in it. But in "Wisegirls", she plays a trashy, not-too-bright bowery girl with big hair and big nails and says "you guys" a lot in her whiny accent. And she sells it. She even holds her own against the considerably more talented, and Oscar-winning, Sorvino.
As fellow waitresses in the restaurant, Meg (Sorvino), Raychel (Carey) and Kate (Melora Walters) offer reality checks and ego boosts to each other as they deal with both the generosity and the rage of the gangsters. With a few years of medical training under her belt, Meg saves the life of an OD victim and rises in the ranks. She begins receiving large tips and can soon afford a nice apartment. But all three girls find out that life in the mob comes with a price.
Directed by David Anspaugh ("Hoosiers", "Moonlight and Valentino"), the film attempts to spring a few surprises here and there, but it's all standard gangster movie plot stuff. What really surprises about "Wisegirls" is its low-key quality and genuine tenderness. This is truly a woman's gangster movie - full of tears and touching moments.
Sorvino in particular lives up to her Oscar win with this, the richest role she's had in years. She uses the character's sad backstory to great advantage, carrying her heaviness and sadness with grace. She also comes across as a great beauty, dumping that tacky airhead quality that came with her "Mighty Aphrodite" and "Romy & Michele's High School Reunion" roles - and swapping them for elegance.
"Wisegirls" doesn't have the kinetic excitement of other Roxie blockbusters like "Red Rock West", "Freeway" or "Rivers and Tides", but it does boast and equal opportunity appeal for both sexes. (A mob date movie?) It has a kind of down-to-earth quality that totally absorbs you and makes you forget you're watching a movie. Don't use Carey as an excuse to write it off. (San Francisco Examiner) Many thanks to Mariah-Carey.org.
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