Mickey Blue Eyes

Mickey Blue Eyes

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Kelly Makin
Produced by Elizabeth Hurley
Charles Mulvehill
Written by Adam Scheinman
Robert Kuhn
Starring Hugh Grant
James Caan
Jeanne Tripplehorn
Music by Basil Poledouris
Cinematography Donald E. Thorin
Edited by David Freeman
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
(US)
Universal Pictures
(UK)
Release dates
  • August 20, 1999
Running time
 102 minutes[2]
Country United Kingdom
United States
Language English
Budget $75 million[3]
Box office $54,264,342[3]

Mickey Blue Eyes is a 1999 British-American romantic comedy crime film directed by Kelly Makin. Hugh Grant stars as Michael Felgate, an English auctioneer living in New York City who becomes entangled in his soon-to-be father-in-law's mafia connections. Several of the minor roles are played by actors later featured in The Sopranos TV gangster series.

The film's title comes from Michael being forced to impersonate a gangster, who is spontaneously named "Kansas City Little Big Mickey Blue Eyes".

Plot

Michael Felgate is an English auctioneer living in New York where he manages the Cromwell auction house. He proposes marriage to his girlfriend Gina Vitale, but is shocked to be turned down. Gina tearfully explains that her father Frank and most of her cousins and uncles are gangsters deeply involved in a Mafia crime family, and she is worried that Michael may be sucked into their world. Michael retorts that he will not let this happen, but barely is their engagement party over before he is unwittingly involved in a money laundering scam, and soon the FBI takes an interest in him.

When one of the money laundering scams at Michael's auction house goes wrong, Gina's cousin Johnny confronts and assaults Michael. Gina grabs his gun and fires a warning shot into the ceiling, which ricochets and accidentally kills Johnny. Johnny's father Vito finds out, and he tells Frank he will kill Gina unless Frank kills Michael during his wedding speech. Unable to carry out the deed, Frank confesses what Vito has ordered him to do to Michael and the two of them turn to the FBI in return for protection. The FBI set up an elaborate operation in which Michael's execution will be faked at the wedding reception. Michael is given a hidden recording device and is tasked with trying to record Vito into admitting his criminal activity on tape before he is "executed".

Michael's plan fails, and when Vito realizes that his execution is a set-up, he orders Vinnie to kill Michael. Vinnie shoots Gina in what appears to be an accident. Vito is arrested for ordering Michael's execution. As Frank and Michael mourn Gina's apparent death in the back of her ambulance, it is revealed that her death was faked as well, and that Vinnie and Gina were also involved with the FBI as a back-up plan.

Cast

Reception

The film earned $10,178,289 on its opening weekend, and went on to gross $33,864,342 in the US and a total of $54,264,342 worldwide.[4][5]

Reviews of the film were mixed. It currently holds a 45% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 76 reviews (34 positive, 42 negative).[6]

Links to The Sopranos

The film is notable for the number of actors who would go on to appear in the HBO TV series, The Sopranos, including:

Jeanne Tripplehorn went on to star in Big Love, which is also an HBO TV series.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Hugh Grant is feeling 'Blue'". CNN. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  2. ↑ "MICKEY BLUE EYES (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 1999-07-30. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Mickey Blue Eyes". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Company Town Film Profit Report". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  5. ↑ "Weekend Box Office". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
  6. ↑ "Mickey Blue Eyes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 30, 2012.

External links