If Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese’s epic gangster film, requires a companion piece, the best candidate should be My Blue Heaven, 1990 comedy directed by Herbert Ross. Two films are very different, especially in genre and general tone, but they share the same source – life and times of small-time New York gangster Henry Hill. Goodfellas was based on Wiseguy, biographical book by Nicholas Pileggi. During Pileggi’s research, his wife Nora Ephron used opportunity to interview Hill and some of the material became inspiration for the script for My Blue Heaven, 1990 comedy directed by Herbert Ross.
In a way, My Blue Heaven can be seen as a sequel to Goodfellas, because the plot begins roughly at the point when it ended in Scorsese’s film. The main character and fictional counterpart of Henry Hill is Vinnie Antonelli (played by Steve Martin), New York mobster who, faced with the prospect of long prison sentence, agreed to become informer for FBI and testify against major Mafia figures. In exchange, he is given immunity and opportunity for new life under assumed name of “Tod Wilkinson” in small town somewhere in vicinity in San Diego. Vinnie, accustomed to luxury and excitement of big city, doesn’t like his new home and, partly out of boredom, starts engaging in petty thefts and various illegal schemes. This creates problems for Barney Coopersmith (played by Rick Moranis), workaholic FBI agent in charge of his security; he must work hard to keep Vinnie out of trouble at least until his testimony at the trial. Two men, despite their differences, soon discover that they have something in common, because both were abandoned by their wives. They gradually become friends and smooth-talking Vinnie decides to help Barney get romantically involved with divorced local prosecutor Hannah Stubbs (played by Joan Cusack), despite her efforts to put Vinnie in jail over his misbehaviour.
Despite being based on larger-than-life man and his comical misadventures in Federal Witness Protection Program, Nora Ephron’s script represents the weakest part of My Blue Heaven. Quality often leaves much to be desired – jokes aren’t always funny, potential of protagonist’s “fish out of water” situation isn’t exploited, just like in case of “buddy buddy” dynamics between Vinnie and Barney. The film is nevertheless funny at time and when it is not, it is competently directed by Herbert Ross that cleverly utilises episodic structure of the plot and maintains short running time, making the whole experience easily digestible for the audience. When anything else fails, Ross throws couple of delectable dance numbers. What elevates My Blue Heaven over being merely watchable is the cast. Steve Martin delivers very effective performance in the role of a mobster with roguish and often irresistible charm that allows audience to easily forgive some of his otherwise outrageous wrongdoings. Moranis, who had played with Martin in previous few films, is also very good in his role, but he is easily overshadowed by imposing figure of Joan Cusack who easily combines authority and feminine charm. Henry Hill allegedly didn’t like the film because some of the more embarrassing episodes of his life had found the way to the script. My Blue Heaven, however, provides enough feather-light entertainment to be recommended to the audience who doesn’t have reasons to take it so personally.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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