Two's a Mob (1998) Online

Quite honestly, the best things about this movie are its title and tagline. It has a few moments (including a fairly decent spoof of Marlon Brando with a cute twist at the end of an interview with a father who complains about his daughter's boyfriend) but it isn't really worth the time unless you find it interesting to try to identify locations in it (this is a favourite pastime of many Canadians watching a Canadian-made movie). I was bored after about fifteen minutes and struggled through the rest, desperately trying to keep an open mind, but having a lot of trouble maintaining much focus on it.

This is supposed to be a spoof on Tarantino, Scorsese, Coppola style gangster movies but the humor is a little too goofy for my taste. But, it does have its moments to which I actually found myself laughing out loud (Whorelance Criplock, the dangers of over saucing, the Amish and their fear of zippers and a shoe salesman gag which I probably only found funny because I work at a shoe store part time). It was also quite funny to see Dan Lalande, the writer of such childhood favorites as Teddy Ruckspin and The Racoons, talking about the joy of convict sex. Unfortunately, the movie does suffer from some below-par acting. Some of the gags are pulled off well while others fall flat on their face. I was hoping to see a lot of dark humor seeing as how all the movies it pokes fun at deal with brutal/gruesome violence and mature themes, but there isn't a trace of it. Also, the demographic this indie picture seems to target seems to be way too young to actually spot the movie references in the first place. I do agree with the previous comments in regards to the locations being one of best elements of this flick. There's no harm in checking it out. Like I said, there were a few times where I actually laughed out loud.

As a former acquaintance of the perpetrators of this fraud on the art of comedy I should recuse myself but I just can't.

This film is a sad and sorry attempt by two people who should know better to pass off almost all of their former stand-up shtick as sly and knowing comedy.

This movie is about as much fun as spending two more hours at a dinner party with people who think they are brilliant wits and who can't stop laughing at their own jokes after all of the liquor has run out.

Diorio, Kaulbars and Lalande have taken a tongue-in-cheek look at the gangster film genre through the medium of an ultra-low budget film. They blatantly rip-off and overplay every cliche they can fit into its 81 minutes. Happily, they often twist these to give them a different appeal. The violence borders on near-Monty Python a la 'The Pirana Brothers' sketch.

If they have not convinced anyone of their ability to put together a film, they ought at least to win credit as location scouts; they have done a better than passable job of making Ottawa look like a U.S. city - no mean feat.

The film is mildly flawed and uneven in spots but, if you know the genre or know Ottawa, it is worth a look.