If you liked William Hickey in "Prizzi's Honor", he resurrects his character, as Don Anthony in "Mob Boss". This is a very weak "Godfather" satire with few laughs. Stuart Whitman looks perplexed as to what he's doing in this schlock-fest? Morgan Fairchild's performance is one of the better efforts in the movie, and that alone is not a good sign for sure. Eddie Deezen vacillates between "Three Stooges" slapstick and a bad Woody Allen imitation. Fatally flawed, "Mob Boss" is so derivative that boredom quickly overcomes comedy and the film drags on with car chases, hidden weapons in a restaurant bathroom, and numerous other nonsense. - MERK
8 Reviews
Deezenfellas
BandSAboutMovies26 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Don Anthony (William Hickey, Don Carrado Prizzi in Prizzi's Honor and Uncle Lewis in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation) runs the biggest crime family in California. He's rubbed out by a team of his archrival Don Francisco (Stuart Whitman) and his mistress Gina (Morgan Fairchild). As he lays dying, he tells Monk (Irwin Keyes) to find his son Tony - yes, Anthony Anthony - to keep the family alive.
It turns out that Tony is Eddie Deezen.
Now, the mob has sent Gina to seduce him, as well as Angelo and Sara (Jack O'Halloran and Brinke Stevens) to kill him. Can Monk and the rest of the family get Don Tony ready for the family business or will they all die trying?
This is the last film of "Iron" Mike Mazursky, plus it also has Don Stroud, Dick Miller, Robert Quarry - credited as his Dr. Phibes Rises Again character name Darrus Biederbeck -and Teagan Clive from Alienator in the cast, which is a Fred Olen Ray mark of quality.
Does Ray have a vision? He did cast Deezen as a lead in a movie. I think that says yes.
In my dreams, Ray made a sequel and shot for shot created the end of Goodfellas with the cocaine run with all of the same actors except Deezen takes over for Ray Liotta.
It turns out that Tony is Eddie Deezen.
Now, the mob has sent Gina to seduce him, as well as Angelo and Sara (Jack O'Halloran and Brinke Stevens) to kill him. Can Monk and the rest of the family get Don Tony ready for the family business or will they all die trying?
This is the last film of "Iron" Mike Mazursky, plus it also has Don Stroud, Dick Miller, Robert Quarry - credited as his Dr. Phibes Rises Again character name Darrus Biederbeck -and Teagan Clive from Alienator in the cast, which is a Fred Olen Ray mark of quality.
Does Ray have a vision? He did cast Deezen as a lead in a movie. I think that says yes.
In my dreams, Ray made a sequel and shot for shot created the end of Goodfellas with the cocaine run with all of the same actors except Deezen takes over for Ray Liotta.
one of morgan fairchild's happier roles. it's revenge-of-the-nerds meets the mob.
loui-in-stlouis26 May 2000
problem: what to do with morgan fairchild besides putting her in a tight dress?
answer: she is the perfect trophy girlfriend for a mob boss.
amazingly, this movie is never boring. it may be entirely daffy, but that is its aim and it hits the mark. this is ms. fairchild's happiest outing, and a smart role for eddie deezen, who brings his best REVENGE OF THE NERDS II and turns it up a notch. everyone in fact is well cast, and this is why the movie holds together so well.
for those who seek lunacy but don't want slapstick, or who simply want to see morgan fairchild without cringing.
answer: she is the perfect trophy girlfriend for a mob boss.
amazingly, this movie is never boring. it may be entirely daffy, but that is its aim and it hits the mark. this is ms. fairchild's happiest outing, and a smart role for eddie deezen, who brings his best REVENGE OF THE NERDS II and turns it up a notch. everyone in fact is well cast, and this is why the movie holds together so well.
for those who seek lunacy but don't want slapstick, or who simply want to see morgan fairchild without cringing.
Annoying Woody Allen Mob Spoof Rip-Off
Jackpollins10 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Ever once in a while I run into a movie that is so embarrassingly bad I wonder why movies exist. This is one of them. This is a terrible attempt to parody The Godfather with annoying cartoon sounds, and bad dialogue. Eddie Deezen is just plain annoying as Tony, an annoying twit who upon his father, Don (William Hickey)'s request, takes over the family business. Tony, as I said, is an annoying little twit. This makes the whole movie a complete mess. The movie is terribly daffy. It's too cartoonish. The main point I'm trying to make is that you can't make a parody of an acclaimed drama like The Godfather with so much cartoonishness. It doesn't work that way. Believe it or not, you have to take a parody of a dramatic movie seriously. If you don't take it seriously, it will feel too much like a parody. The thing about doing a parody is that you can't seem too much like you're doing a parody. You have to make it seem like you're taking the movie at least a little bit seriously. It also feels like they're just mocking Woody Allen, and that's what makes this movie absolutely terrible.
Morgan Fairchild in tight dresses
Dizzy-1010 June 1999
That's about the only redeeming quality in a movie that otherwise insults the viewer's intelligence by losing track of time, plot, and reason for being produced.
Plus, how that guy with the glasses ever got a gig in Hollywood is beyond me.
Plus, how that guy with the glasses ever got a gig in Hollywood is beyond me.
AN OK COMEDY
bazdol27 January 1999
I thought this was a pretty funny take off on Mafia type movies. Almost every scene takes a jab at gangster cliches and/or standard filming and editing techniques. It is uneven though. Some of the actors seem to take their acting job not too seriously and seem amused over playing in this spoof.
Morgan Fairchild shines here!
PredragReviews28 July 2016
"Mob Boss" tries very hard to be funny, and, at times, succeeds. A send up of the gangster/organized crime genre, it chronicles the growth of a dying mob boss's nerdy son from the day he is pulled out of military academy to the time he becomes head of an organized crime syndicate. How funny you will find this depends greatly on how you view low brow humor (e.g. child being baptized urinating on pastor and mob officials), as well as if you are watching for the women (Morgan Fairchild, Brinke Stevens - who's a delight), and, subsequently, the nude scenes. I enjoyed it, and found parts amusing (such as when Eddie Deezen drops his gun into a restroom toilet), though it is most certainly not for all tastes.
Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
Amusing mob spoof
lor_31 May 2023
My review was written in September 1990 after watching the movie on Vidmark video cassette.
Eddie Deezen has a funny comedy vehicle in "Mob Boss", fantasy specialist Fred Olen Ray's successful shift into more mainstream filmmaking.
Direct-to-video release is good enough to have merited some theatrical play but in any event would have had trouble finding its niche. Light-hearted approach is at variation with the ultraviolet spate of gangster pics on the market.
Script by Ray's longtime collaborator T. L. Lankford carefully spoofs "The Godfather". This time it's William Hickey, virtually reprising his "Prizzi's Honor" role, as the main mobster, who calls in nerdish son Deezen to take over after he's shot by rivals.
Level of sily puns has Deezen named "Tony Anthony" and besides Don Francisco and Don Taglianeti there is a gangster name "Don Johnson".
Like his idol Jerry Lewis in "The Patsy", Deezen is put through all sorts of training for his leadership position, including lessons in seduction.
Deezen is fun in the Al Pacino role from "The Godfather"; it would be amusing to see him spoof "Sea of Love".
Supporting cast is very effective, including Morgan Fairchild as a gangster moll; Brinke Stevens as an ineffectual hit woman; and Karen Russell as Hickey's nurse. Irwin Keyes is perfectly cast as Deezen's mentor, making for a funny contrasting team. Ray's interest in film minutiae is reflected in the casting of both Mike Mazurki and Jack O'Halloran, who played the same role in Raymond Chandler's "Murder, My Sweet" and its remake "Farewell, My Lovely".
Tech credits are fine, including cutesy use of sound effects to enhance slapstick scenes.
Eddie Deezen has a funny comedy vehicle in "Mob Boss", fantasy specialist Fred Olen Ray's successful shift into more mainstream filmmaking.
Direct-to-video release is good enough to have merited some theatrical play but in any event would have had trouble finding its niche. Light-hearted approach is at variation with the ultraviolet spate of gangster pics on the market.
Script by Ray's longtime collaborator T. L. Lankford carefully spoofs "The Godfather". This time it's William Hickey, virtually reprising his "Prizzi's Honor" role, as the main mobster, who calls in nerdish son Deezen to take over after he's shot by rivals.
Level of sily puns has Deezen named "Tony Anthony" and besides Don Francisco and Don Taglianeti there is a gangster name "Don Johnson".
Like his idol Jerry Lewis in "The Patsy", Deezen is put through all sorts of training for his leadership position, including lessons in seduction.
Deezen is fun in the Al Pacino role from "The Godfather"; it would be amusing to see him spoof "Sea of Love".
Supporting cast is very effective, including Morgan Fairchild as a gangster moll; Brinke Stevens as an ineffectual hit woman; and Karen Russell as Hickey's nurse. Irwin Keyes is perfectly cast as Deezen's mentor, making for a funny contrasting team. Ray's interest in film minutiae is reflected in the casting of both Mike Mazurki and Jack O'Halloran, who played the same role in Raymond Chandler's "Murder, My Sweet" and its remake "Farewell, My Lovely".
Tech credits are fine, including cutesy use of sound effects to enhance slapstick scenes.
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