Mac (1993)

MAC is the story of three brothers who struggle against all odds to scrape together enough money to start their own business in Queens New York. Turturro the director expertly creates their quirky and humorous world bound by raucous loyalty and torn by sibling rivalry. And Turturro the actor delivers his best performances yet as Mac the ambitious overbearing irresistible oldest brother. Winner of the Camera d'Or at Cannes for best first-time director MAC is "intensely romantic wonderfully vivid...a very good movie!" (Vincent Canby The New York Times)System Requirements:Run Time: 118 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 043396036970 Manufacturer No: 03697 Product Description

Turtorro hits home with this viewer

I first saw this film in Seattle in a tiny theatre that my friend, Carpenter Bill had remodeled by the sweat of his own brow. From the opening cement scene to the haunting conclusion, this film inspires on many levels. I own the DVD and watch it whenever I need to be feel good inside.

Disregard the esoteric tripe above in the elitist New Yorker review. If you are a real, breathing human who has ever worked a physical job for a living, you will treasure this movie. A lean creation with economy of statement and flairs for the dramatic as well as the comedic, John Turtorro's uncompromisingly gritty film is a work of art just like the homes him and his Dad built. September 9, 2006

MADE IN AMERICA WITH PRIDE...

This film was made in loving memory of John Turturro's father and is directed by John Turturro himself. The film pays homage to the small businessman for whom thing must be done "the right way and his way", which are one and the same. Here the business man is a construction worker, Niccolo (Mac) Vitelli (John Turturro), who along with his two brothers, Vico (MIchael Badalucco) and Bruno (Carl Capotorto), gets disgusted with the shoddy workmanship that is the standard with the construction concern for whom he works. Mindful of the high standards set by his late father, Mac begins his own construction company on a shoestring budget and brings his brothers in with him, calling the company "Vitelli Brothers Construction." He and his brothers set about building quality housing on a small scale in suburbia.

The pressure of building and running a business takes its toll on Mac and his relationship with his brothers. The film is about a man with a dollar and a dream and how his dream seems not to be shared by those whom he loves most. Michael Badalucco is excellent as Vico, as is Carlo Capotorto as Bruno. Mac's wife, Alice, a young woman with a contemporary veneer, is well played by Katherine Borowitz, though she seems a tad out of place in Queens, New York of the nineteen fifties, where the film takes place. Ellen Barkin strikes a wrong note as the free spirited Oona, and Jon Amos as Nat, a fellow construction worker who throws in his lot with those of the Vitelli Brothers, is excellent, though one wonders at the racial harmony displayed by the construction industry of the nineteen fifties. This, too, strikes a false note.

A number of John Turturro's relatives crop up throughout the film. Aida Turturro of Soprano fame pops up as part of a husband and wife team who are among the first to buy one of Mac's houses. Nicholas Turturro of NYPD Blue fame appears in the role of Tony Gloves. John Turturro, himself, is excellent as Mac, but falters in the directorial department. The film, a loving look at an Italian American family in the construction trade, is a little too choppy to pass muster, though it gamely tries. It lack cohesiveness. This directorial effort is a game venture by John Turturro but one that, nonetheless, falters, given the number of wrong notes sounded throughout the film. Still, the film shows promise of things to come. December 9, 2002

a son that didn't work construction

john turturro captures with his directorial excellence all the things he could not be to his father. This homage to the elder turturro captures the day to day grind of a "one man show" construction company and the problems that arise when working with family members. The lost art of craftmanship is worshipped here with a vengance. The skill of turning a pile of lumber into a home, one nail at a time, with love and conviction. Men who can "do" not just "talk". February 11, 2001

The best Turturro has ever been

A fine film and tribute to John Turturro's father. A must see for anyone who ever worked construction,has a wackey Catholic family or just plain likes an entertaining movie. April 27, 1999

More reviews at Amazon.com ...