Here’s a little comedy gem I found in the discount bin at Fry’s. I remember the movie coming and going very quickly at theaters but it was pretty popular at school when it made the rounds on HBO. The wife and I watched it during our Snow Day from work earlier this year. I decided to review it now because of my site’s Movie section being divided up into its three categories and the DVD part could use some padding.
Dom stars as Dominick DiNapoli. All his life he has been overweight and a compulsive eater. This is established in the opening credits with his parents stuffing food in his face as appeasement and the snacking antics of him and his obese cousin Sal. The story then begins with Sal’s funeral. Dominick’s older sister Antoinette [Bancroft] pushes him to see a doctor about losing weight so he doesn’t share Sal’s fate. Changing his unhealthy lifestyle proves to be very difficult after 40 years until Lyida [Candice Azzara, most remember her as the wife in Easy Money with Rodney Dangerfield] moves into the neighborhood to open an antique store. He is completely smiten with her. He thinks she likes him too but he isn’t sure. Eventually doubt sets in and the eating problems return with a vengeance.
It doesn’t sound very much like a comedy and if you’re expecting the usual low-brow, totally obvious jokes in the majority of today’s comedies, then you’ll be bored. This is more subtle, dark and observational material. A definite departure for Dom DeLuise whose resume includes Silent Movie, Blazing Saddles, The End and Cannonball Run. I also found it entertaining in the details of Italian-American-Catholic culture which I’m sure Bancroft and DeLuise were quite familiar with. My father’s family is nothing close to that but it must run in our DNA if I understood most of the humor. As Dr. Scibila always said about being Italian, “Let’s carry that statue around the block one more time!” Anyone who has struggled with weight loss, self-esteem and self-doubt will relate to the story, especially if you didn’t get married until you were over 30.