Corky Romano

There is an advertising slogan for a bathroom cleanser that makes the claim “we work hard so you don’t have to”. The same could be applied to “Corky Romano”. “I endured this terrible film so you don’t have to”. This film, which tries to be another mob comedy, makes even “Mickey Blue Eyes” look good. I don’t even think the fact that its release date and the release of the “Godfather” saga can help generate any interest.

it’s obvious that some studios are more than willing to gamble on the popularity of “Saturday Night Live” comedians. There have been some stars in the past that have earned the risk. Lately, that has not been true. Some stars, like Molly Shannon, have wised up and developed smaller roles (ex. “Serendipity”). Chris Kattan has not made a film worth watching yet. He was in two previous cinematic disasters, “A Night at the Roxbury” and “Monkeybone.” “Corky” is so bad, it makes even those losers look good (and that’s not saying much). This also continues to be a miserable year for Disney (Touchstone).

Newcomer Rob Pritts directs “Corky Romano”, but sadly for him this is not going to be much of a success to be proud of as a first. David Garrett and Jason Ward, who are also breaking into the Hollywood scene, also write the script. Producer Robert Simmonds isn’t actually known for very good films either (“Joe Dirt,” “Little Nicky”). As you can see, this flic is already in serious trouble. The comedic contents are awkward, forced, and extremely contrived. It is revolting just to think about any money being spent on this project.

Corky (Chris Kattan) is the maladroit son of a mafia boss known as Pops Romano (Peter Falk). He is the black sheep of the family because of his professional career. Instead of being a mobster, Corky is an assistant veterinarian. His dad’s criminal activity (prostitution, racketeering, and underground casinos) is about to be exposed by the Feds. Corky is asked to go undercover in the F.B.I. He is approached by Pop’s right hand man Leo Corrigan (Fred Ward) and his two brothers Paulie (Peter Berg) and Peter (Chris Penn). His mission is to infiltrate the Bureau and learn what kind of evidence they have on dear old dad. Our mole comes complete with fake ID and a resume. His undercover name is Corky Pissant. It is supposed to be French (you know pronounced Pees-ahn), but everyone mispronounces it (of course). I guess the whole point is to make the comedic connection to the much better “Pink Panther” days with Chief Inspector Clouseau. I will spare you the rest of the very boring details.

Why is it PG-13? There is a great deal of profanity. This includes several uses of the s-word and sexual related slang. The Lord’s name is also taken in vain frequently. It is obvious that one of the characters is trying to repress homosexual tendencies. There is the sexually related sight gag when an older woman watches Corky pull a snake out of his pants. The majority of the humor is in poor taste. Convinced yet? In another scene a woman catches Corky sniffing her panties. Had enough? I know I have. This is definitely an adult film. The only bright spot in the film was Richard Roundtree playing Howard Schuster, the local FBI Chief. My advice is to skip and be a good film ambassador and encourage others to skip it too. You won’t regret it.