Dan Anderson/Lionsgate
The popular stand-up comedian plays a version of himself and is bidding for lead status in a likable comedy he co-wrote.
After a few supporting roles in “Tag,” “Green Book,” and “The Irishman,” Sebastian Maniscalco makes his first attempt at leading man status with “About My Father,” a family comedy based on the same semi-autobiographical material that made his Stand-up has become a commercial and cultural phenomenon. To say that it’s better than all three Meet the Parents movies might be a dubious compliment, but it’s made all the more meaningful because Robert De Niro stars – and, more importantly, it actually shows recognizable features human behavior amidst its suitably outlandish set pieces. Whether or not Maniscalco has a legitimate future as a movie star, he demonstrates a likable presence as the romantic lead, while director Laura Terruso skillfully delivers comedic moves that exploit his wheelhouse while introducing him to a wider audience.
Maniscalco plays “himself,” the successful Chicago-based boutique hotel manager who falls in love with painter and artist Ellie Collins (Leslie Bibb). Sebastian, the son of widowed Italian immigrant hairdresser Salvo (De Niro), feels a little uneasy about the wealth of the Collins family, which owns an international chain of resorts and hotels, when Ellie invites him to visit her parents during the May 4th holiday July to meet celebration, he decides that it is a perfect opportunity to propose marriage. The only snag is that the family ring Sebastian intended to use in his marriage proposal is being held by Salvo, who insists on checking the Collinses himself before agreeing to hand it over.
Simultaneously nervous about meeting Ellie’s blue-blooded parents, Bill (David Rasche) and Tigger (Kim Cattrall), and the inevitable cultural clash between them and worker Salvo, Sebastian embraces every social opportunity with unease. But what worries him even more than Salvo, who looks askance at the Collins family, is that his father is trying to fit in – leading him to wonder if he’s promoting a betrayal of the strict immigrant upbringing on which they are based Basis the Maniscalcos have built their family identity. While his own dealings with Salvo lead to some awkward conversations between father and son, her presence over the weekend brings secrets between members of the Collins family to light, forcing Sebastian to find a way to make peace – even if it jeopardizes his ability to ask for Ellie’s hand in marriage.
Written by Maniscalco with partner Austen Earl, “About My Father” suits the comedian just as well as Salvo’s ball-hugging Speedo: he can flex his acting muscles easily while still enjoying enough space to deliver the occasional riff that enhances his stand-up -Routines are worthy. His audience knows that family trifles are a cornerstone of this material, which firmly embeds this fictional exploration of similar subjects within his comfort zone. But while 2022’s “Easter Sunday,” a similar wannabe star-vehicle for Filipino comedian Jo Koy, focused too much on finding ways for Koy to essentially recreate his stage show, Terruso keeps the monologues to a comfortable minimum and encourages Maniscalco grappling with family dilemmas like, well, a real actor.
In the “Fockers” era, De Niro – once the pioneer of methodical intensity – expanded the appeal he’d built with artists like Martin Scorsese by collaborating with comedy superstar Ben Stiller. After his recent reunions with Scorsese and filmmakers like David O. Russell, he does appear to be back in acting. Though Salvo Maniscalco is cut from a similar cloth to Jack Byrnes, he breathes humanity and even kindness into the cantankerous barber. It’s a virtue that the film highlights Salvo’s tendency to judge everyone around him, even when the impulse feels naturalistic, and positions him – and everyone else around him – as sympathetic people trying to make their way, whether successful or not cope with difficult situations. However, he looks less convincing holding court as a barber in a beauty salon than the guy who leaves a pallet of hair products in the alley behind you.
After “Talladega Nights,” “Zookeeper,” “Hell Baby,” and “Tag” and more, Leslie Bibb has earned her reputation as the whisperer in the comedy’s leading lady, and places herself right on Maniscalco’s wavelength as a substantial but current partner on the Canvas on for a joke. Rasche capitalizes on his “Succession” career boost by codifying the privilege of the knowing, isolated, old, wealthy white man as quasi-Bill. Cattrall relives not only her razor-sharp comedic instincts from her Sex and the City days, but even from “Police Academy” and “Big Trouble in Little China,” and portrays a hard-nosed senator smart enough to see when he’s a disaster in person Haircut (provided by Salvo) can be exploited for political purposes. Meanwhile, Anders Holm and Brett Dier play the Collins family’s over-the-top sons, Lucky and Doug, whose decadent smugness further underscores Sebastian’s ambition and drive when he’s not providing a few laughs at their expense.
Ultimately, the fact that Sebastian is less intimidated by his future in-laws than by the possibility that his father might embarrass him creates an engaging dynamic that many viewers will identify with. Unfortunately, there are no discussions about which animals can and cannot be milked, but there are much more relatable scenes, such as the one in which a parent is adamant, even repugnant, in his decision to pay a check. As a comedian, Maniscalco has tapped into universal experiences that amuse and embarrass many generations and cultures, and he has translated that sensation to screen with affection and humor. With Terruso’s dexterity as a director, he also delivered what is becoming increasingly rare on the big screen: a comedy that can entertain the whole family.
In a drought of similar offerings, About My Father works because it targets specific audiences but is large and broad enough to cover those outside the bullseye as well. Maniscalco hasn’t quite proven he can carry a film that isn’t inspired by or “goes beyond” him, but this first attempt is charming and serious enough to encourage viewers to meet him where he is currently in his career.