
                      ----------------------------------

                      F  I  L  M  *  R  E  V  I  E  W  S

                      ----------------------------------



                                      MAC

                      A film review by James Berardinelli
                       Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli

Released:   3/93
Length:     1:58
Rated:      18 (Language, violence, sexual situations)
Starring:   John  Tuturro,  Michael   Badalucco,   Carl   Capotorto,  Katherine
            Borowitz, Ellen Barkin
Director:   John Tuturro
Producers:  Nancy Tenenbaum and Brenda Goodman
Screenplay: John Tuturro and Brandon Cole
Music:      Richard Termini and Vin Tese Released by Samuel Goldwyn Co.


     In 1954 Queens,  New  York,  three  brothers  -  Mac  (John Tuturro), Vico
(Michael Badalucco), and  Bruno  (Carl  Capotorto)  -  after  having  a few bad
experiences working for others, decide  to  band  together and create their own
construction business.  The building of  four  houses  is a painstaking process
that pushes the relationships of the close brothers to the breaking point.

     Credit should go to John Tuturro  for  exploring a subject - carpentry and
house building - that is not  often  seen  in  films.  Not only does MAC tackle
this issue, but manages to make  it  vital  and interesting.  The best parts of
the film are those that show the various  stages of starting a new business and
building the houses.   If  only  the  interpersonal  relationships  between the
brothers had been handled as deftly and with as much feeling.

     There is no doubt whatsoever that  MAC  was  a  labor of love for Tuturro.
The film took twelve years to  reach  its  final form, and Tuturro was involved
every step of the way.  MAC is  dedicated  to  and loosely based on the life of
Turturro's  father,  a  first  generation   Italian  American  carpenter.   The
writer/director/actor has put his heart and  energy  into this movie and, while
the product is flawed, there is still enough  here to make viewing of this film
worthwhile.

     MAC is a visual feast.   Rich  images  abound  and  great  care is paid to
detail.  The opening credits are especially  impressive - as well as indicative
of the quality of the rest of the  film  - as booted feet stalk through mud and
concrete is smoothed over.  Throughout  the  entire  film,  this flair is never
lost.

     At times, Tuturro handles  the  relationships  between  the three brothers
well, but not always.  Too  often,  he  goes  for  melodrama and directs with a
heavy hand.  It doesn't  take  the  audience  long  to  understand the tensions
coursing under the surface, but  Tuturro  insists  on  hammering the point home
over and  over  again.   He  does  it  so  often  that,  in  addition  to being
repetitious, the entire subject becomes tedious and uncomfortable.

     Perhaps I would have felt differently had  I gotten the impression of real
affection between the  brothers.   However,  although  it's  apparent  that the
Vitellis are a close-knit family, there  are  few  - if any - demonstrations of
brotherly affection.  My problems with the disintegration of the relation- ship
are partially grounded in an inability  to completely accept what Tuturro takes
for granted.

     Tuturro's acting  is  inspired.   He  goes  over-the-top  on  a  couple of
occasions, but he infuses this film with an  energy that it's badly in need of.
The explosiveness of his performance is in  stark contrast with the gray, rainy
nature of the setting.  This is definitely one of the film's saving graces.

     At its heart, MAC is a  story  about  integrity  and taking pride in one's
work.  As the title character proclaims,  "You  know what I think happiness is?
To love your job...  If you hate your  work, you hate your life."  The specific
focus of this film may be on an  Italian American family of carpenters, but the
message is universal.  This is not a  great  film - the character inter- action
is often shaky - but the production is energetic in getting its message across.

                            Rating: 7.6 (B, **1/2)


                  James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)

