Wisegal (2008)

Run of the mill parade of Italian American stereotypes.Why is it that the only portrayal of Italian Americans is as mobbed up ignoramuses? Italian women portrayed as cheap putanas or drug addicts.And extra credit for a low class outer borough accent.As if you have to speak like a moron to be Italian. Fuggedaboudid? You wouldn't be idiotic enough to ask a black person to say "yowsuh massa", so why the double standard?The most infuriating part, is that if you complain about this injustice, you're characterized as being a front for the mob. Nice.If I'm wrong (I'm not), please let me know of a positive portrayal.

I will remember this movie as one of the most powerful movie portrayals of a strong mother. What sets this apart from all other movies about mothers is, this mother does not break down emotionally, but instead she continues to figure out a way through to support her family and that gives it the upper-hand of being inspirational! And i do believe that this is based on a true story because i believe there are people like her around and i am so glad to come across this testimony of life.Alyssa Milano really did a splendid job in her role, which i knew she could pull it off with such a standard considering her potential. The rest of the cast did really well and the script is strong, not too heavy (which it is not suppose to be heavy, after all this is a lifetime movie) but still weighs heavily on the heart. In fact this movie is good enough to be of a blockbuster standard. If u want a heart felt movie that does not rely on too much crying and carries substantial courage and maternal strength, this is a must-watch.

'Made for TV' is not something that raises the expectations of the viewer. I did not recall seeing Alyssa Milano in anything other than 'Charmed' and frankly I wasn't that impressed with her. Which makes it all the more surprising how much I liked this film. The plot may not be that original: Girl from disadvantaged background makes good, suffers setback, pulls herself up through hard work, intelligence and (in this case) a mobster who fancies her. Alyssas' character isn't portrayed as the totally innocent victim of circumstance (so annoyingly common in these scenarios) but gives her a little more realism. The rest of the cast did well with less screen time: James Caan bought a little weight to the cast and the children played their roles convincingly, but the character I would have liked to see more of was the mother played by Janet Wright. What sets this film apart is the higher than average standard of acting, the non-cheesy script and the three dimensional characters.

Alyssa Milano was great in this movie and I am not just saying that because I am a fan of hers. The plot was interesting and nothing like Wisegirls. It is about a women with two kids who just lost her husband. She has no money so she starts to sell stolen cigarettes from this person that works for the mob. Then she starts to get more involved with the mob by fixing a restaurant and changing it into a night club. She is then asked to transfer money from Canada and agrees to. Years have passed and things get more complicated. She likes a man who is married and who kills his son. She finds out that the boss told him to and she wants out. She leaves with her children to Florida with the approval of the boss. And then most of the mob is either killed or arrested with the help of an FBI agent and an undercover man. I think this was a great movie even though it is a Lifetime production. Everyone should definitely see it.