The mobster comedy is by now such familiar terrain that it ought to have its own nickname (mobcom, obviously), and that familiarity does not make breathing new life into the subgenre easier. Alas, …
The mobster comedy is by now such familiar terrain that it ought to have its own nickname , and that familiarity does not make breathing new life into the subgenre easier. Alas, there isn’t much fresh air to be had in “Clover,” a polished but pedestrian romp in which two knucklehead siblings in hock to the local crime boss find themselves fleeing his “debt collectors” for their lives.
They’re given a potential out if they make “a simple housecall” to another tardy debtor in the company of Tony’s all-too-aptly-named son Crazy Joey . Naturally, this task doesn’t turn out to be simple at all. Amid the ensuing mayhem, not only does the intended mark die, but his daughter Clover witnesses that murder — and kills killer Joey.
“Clover” looks good, with well-chosen locations as well as able contributions from production designer Giles Masters and DP Matthew Quinn. It also moves at a brisk clip. But the screenplay by Michael Testone is busy without providing much in the way of distinguishing content — it’s just the usual woise goise and goils yelling expletive-riddled tough-guy abuse at each other that the movie mistakes for hilarious banter.
All this might fly better if the film had a more out-there absurdist spirit, stronger suspense, or demonstrated greater flair in its frequent violent action. But the emphasis here is on character comedy, and these characters just aren’t very original, or funny. They tend to annoy each other, and may well have that effect on the viewer, too.
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