User Score
7.2 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 19
  2. Negative: 3 out of 19

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  1. TimC.
    Oct 6, 2003
    8
    I left the theater with a smile on my face. I laughed and laughed some more. Plus, Peter Miller was easy on the eyes!
  2. JoshuaE.
    Apr 6, 2004
    10
    This movie portrays the diversity and the hardships in the world today. It was a touching film.
  3. DanN.
    Oct 22, 2003
    7
    Given some of the reviews, I didn't expect this movie to be as funny as it is. I really enjoyed it. Sure, the stereotypes are overdone (and I've seen them done better) but stereotypes exist for a reason: sometimes they're true. The parents in this movie reminded me of my own grandparents at times. A nice enjoyable movie.
  4. MarcK.
    Sep 22, 2003
    7
    Light and likeable...definitely brought a smile to my face. Claudia Ferri is the hidden gem in this movie.
  5. AndersL.
    Sep 24, 2003
    9
    Probably the best gay romantic comedy ever made! Refreshing to see something real and gay, without the stereotyping and campness. I was really impressed by the brilliant script, which had the audience clapping and laughing out very loud.
  6. LarryS.
    Sep 27, 2003
    5
    Pales in comparison to My Big Fat Greek Wedding and nothing more than a cheap knockoff. At most an average movie. The writing was generally unimaginative and the acting, except for Paul Sorvino and Ginette Reno (who does a surprisingly good job) was lacking. Not really worth the drive to the theatre and the cost of entry.
  7. GregT.
    Mar 2, 2004
    7
    This is not a bad gay oriented movie and redeeming in the sense that everyone ends up relatively happy in the end. The close knit and compulsive Italian family is a stereotype, but hey, who can't relate to this scenario? We all can at some level. It is a weak comedy but a comedy notwithstanding. Worth renting if you are interested in gays, Italians or the ethnic family dynamic.
  8. H.T.
    Mar 27, 2004
    9
    So funny and true! Being a first-generation Italian-Canadian myself, I can honestly say that the stereotypes are true and this movie presents life in an Italian family with only a little embellishment. I absolutely loved it!
  9. DouglasH.
    Apr 2, 2004
    3
    This movie sucked!
  10. FrankA.
    Jul 27, 2004
    10
    Hysterical!! I haven't laughed this hard in years. Especially the scene where Angelo's parents are badgering him as to why Nino is a better roomate than them, and he blurts out "he's my lover"!! The parents expressions had me rolling on the couch. That's just one example. I heartily recommend this one for sheer hysterical fun!
  11. MikeK.
    Oct 11, 2003
    1
    Overrated, overhyped disappointing ripoff of "My big fat greek wedding" Stay home and lock your doors!
  12. JulieM.
    Mar 22, 2004
    1
    This is the most vulgar and cheap movie I have ever seen! Trash from A to Z. It goes to show that in Quebec they are completely in the dark as to what a good movie is! The vulgarity of the language is repulsive, and they claim to be a "french" province. To me it's not even a language, it's a bad dialect. So much for "La Belle Province." Shame, shame shame!!! Watching that movie was painful and the word is weak!! Expand
  13. IvanO.
    Jan 26, 2005
    10
    Really, really great work!
  14. Feb 24, 2013
    4
    Mambo Italiano is the story of an Italian immigrant coming out to his old school Italian family. There are some really hysterical lines in this movie, but in general I found the whole thing to have been done. Putting an Italian twist on it, was in theory a good idea, but the whole film just comes across as cliché. The gay stereotypes are outdated and the other F word is thrown around way ttoo much. If you're looking for an original "gay" comedy, watch Sascha Baron Cohen's Bruno, that was a great movie. Mambo Italiano is just a fast moving, sexist nightmare, with the occasional great one liner. Expand
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 26 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 26
  2. Negative: 6 out of 26
  1. This film might have been daringly funny 10 years ago, even with its broadest elements intact. Now it's comfortable as old slippers and unthreatening as a sleeping kitten.
  2. Reviewed by: Caroline Westbrook
    60
    Lacks sparkle, and finally tips its gallery of colourful protagonists into the realm of caricature.
  3. Reviewed by: David Rooney
    60
    The broad comedy is somewhat strained and obvious, and the hyper-real atmosphere encourages the cast to slice the prosciutto a little thickly. But the film's sweet-natured ingenuousness proves reasonably contagious.