The Undertaker's Wedding (1997)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

John Bradshaw

Writer:

John Bradshaw (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Plot:

A hapless undertaker becomes embroiled in a mafia war when he's forced to protect the brutal brother of a mob kingpin while be becomes romantically involved with the mob brother's wife.

Plot Keywords:

Undertaker | Funeral | Funeral Parlor | Mafia | Sex In Coffin

Cast

Adrien Brody	...	Mario Bellini
Jeff Wincott	...	Rocco
Kari Wuhrer	...	Maria
Holly Gagnier	...	Louise
Nicholas Pasco	...	Michael Caprelli
Burt Young	...	Alberto
Darren Andrea	...	Taxi Driver
Paul Arno	...	Doctor
Steve Bloom	...	Grave Digger #1
Peter Marino	...	Grave Digger #2
Lisa Drew	...	Waitress / Agnes
Edmund	...	Enzio Caprelli
Ralph George	...	Giuseppe
Anna-Maria Giannotti	...	Mrs. Bellini (as Anna Giannotti)
Louie Jannetta	...	Frederico Caprelli

Also Known As:

J'ai épousé un croque-mort (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence and sexuality.

Runtime:

89 min | Germany:80 min (TV version)

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Certification:

Germany:12 | USA:R

Mildly amusing film about mobsters, with a touch of romance

Mario Bellini (Adrien Brody) is an undertaker to the mob. If the dead bodies come in riddled with bullet holes, Mario still makes them look good. Having inherited the business from his folks, it is all he knows. But, the job causes problems with Mario's love life. He aspires to get married but when he brings the lady in question back to the funeral home, she sees a corpse and runs away quickly. Poor Mario. As it happens, a turf war breaks out between two factions of the mob, with several gangsters ending up in caskets. One mob member, however, fakes his death and hides out at the Bellini funeral home. When his gorgeous wife, Maria (Kari Wuhrer) comes to the funeral, Mario likes what he sees. Oh, what a tangled web indeed. Will Mario get what he desires most, a wife? This is a mildly amusing movie, with some originality. Most of the violence is of the cartoonish nature and there are some funny moments, indeed. Watch a rolling, runaway casket careen down the main drag and you will be smiling. Also, there is a moment when a jealous wife catches her husband in a tryst and he shouts out that the other woman was "only teaching him to floss"! Brody is really quite nice as the funeral home operator, not withstanding his awful haircut. The rest of the cast, including Burt Young, is also good. The costumes, sets, and production values are adequate, indicating the film was probably made on a strict budget. Nevertheless, if you like such films as Married to the Mob, you might try this one for an evening. Although it is not destined to be an indie classic, it has its moments of fun, definitely.