Film Review: THE ITALIANS (2025): Michelle Danner Stars In and Directs This Zany and Enjoyable Family-Themed Comedy

The Italians Review

The Italians (2025) Film Review, a movie directed by Michelle Danner, written by Lisa Phillips Visca and starring Abigail Breslin, Matthew Daddario, Lainie Kazan, Perrey Reeves, David DeLuise, Rob Estes, Olivia Luccardi, Michelle Danner, Darren Weiss, Luca Riemma, Justin Daniel Brush, Josephine Hies, Stimson Snead, Callie Carlin Ogden, Mystique Merjan and Roger Dean.

Michelle Danner directs the wildly humorous and eccentric new comedy, The Italians. Danner cast herself in the film’s most difficult role which is that of Angelina, the mother of an Italian household whose son, Nico (Matthew Daddario), is involved with a non-Italian woman named Lily (Abigail Breslin) who is coming to dinner as the film’s story line begins. You’ve seen typical Italian families like the one portrayed in The Italians before, but Danner’s honesty in this movie is truly welcome and feels genuine because no matter how dysfunctional the family may seem, there’s also no denying that most people have probably encountered a family or two like the one in this film in real life.

This film opens with a hilarious scenario set in a confessional booth as Nico tries to tell his sins to a priest, Father Joe (Luca Riemma). Consequently, Angelina has a few things of her own to tell Father Joe and shows no signs of being shy in terms of unveiling her overbearing parental nature. Soon, Nico’s dad, Vincenzo (Rob Estes), is trying to find the perfect shirt to wear to meet his son’s new girlfriend. A female Jehovah’s witness comes to the door and Angelina and Vincenzo mistake her for Nico’s new girlfriend in a funny scenario that sets the stage for the type of antics this film has up its sleeve when the film’s main couple, Nico and Lily, do show up and Lily’s dress has a slight tear.

Angelina puts Lily in her mother’s dress, but soon discovers that Lily is not looking to have kids anytime soon and that she may just not be Italian. That feels like a deal breaker for Angelina. Heck, even the Jehovah’s witness was half-Italian. This film’s dynamic of the young couple in love versus the parents (particularly the mother, Angelina) is surely the strong point of the picture. Danner revels in playing her role and though she plays it particularly awkward at times, the part still comes across realistically which makes the movie feel like it has a certain level of authenticity buried underneath all its jokes about eating, cooking, meatballs, etc.

Lainie Kazan plays Lucia, a central character in the film who ends up coming to dinner too. Lucia has a fairly big role in this offbeat story line. She’s the mother who Angelina seems to have been inspired by even though there’s some unwanted hostility and tension between them. When Kazan shows up, the movie can be an all-out comic gem that throws in enough wild insanity to please anyone who has ever thought their own family was the most dysfunctional one of all. Kazan revels in the craziness as she and Danner exchange barbs that help define the family dynamic that makes this story tick.

I particularly loved Olivia Luccardi as Geena, a “nice Italian girl” from the neighborhood who Angelina wants to set Nico up with. Luccardi shows up and cranks the level of the movie up a notch with her hilarious performance. She may or may not be able to win Nico over, but Luccardi will win audiences over with her tremendously energetic and effective performance.

Abigail Breslin worked with Danner on the intelligent and dramatic, Miranda’s Victim. This new film takes their working relationship to a different level. Breslin plays an ordinary girl looking to find happiness quite well and it’s to Breslin’s credit that she comes across as, seemingly, the most normal person in the film. That was probably Danner’s intention, but the likability factor of Breslin’s character is one of the most prized assets of The Italians.

Rob Estes is humorous as well as he eventually sits back and lets Kazan and Danner do their thing together with sometimes heartwarming results interspersed into the wild and crazy time this movie offers viewers. In support, Perrey Reeves and David DeLuise get some moments to shine as their quirky characters as well even if Danner chews into her scenes so much that she ultimately takes center stage in the action. When Kazan appears, it becomes a battle for the crown between Lucia and Angelina which may result in an ending that could certainly surprise the viewer. Although Daddario and Breslin don’t always have the most effective chemistry together, their acting is really enjoyable on its own rather than in the scenes orchestrated between the couple they play. This is a small flaw in the grand scheme of things, though, and can be easily overlooked.

The Italians gave off big-time My Big Fat Greek Wedding vibes. I liked The Italians a whole lot more than the last sequel in that franchise. People may complain that The Italians could feel awkward at times, but that’s exactly the point. Breslin, Danner, Kazan, Estes and company do their best to make this new film a pleasurable experience that could hit home for anyone who has had religious, overbearing parents who seemed more concerned with cooking at times than in their own kid’s happiness. There are also some touching moments which could tug at the heartstrings. Luckily, The Italians should leave a smile on the viewer’s face from ear-to-ear thanks to the fun performances at the film’s helm.

Rating: 7/10

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