Mano Italiano

Renato, an obviously black youth, has been brought up by his adoptive parents as totally Italian-American. The young man can even speak his parents' language and works in his father deli. Little does he know his world is coming to a complete stop when his picture appears in a trade magazine. So far, his mentality is totally Italian; he even dislikes Afro-Americans!

Renato, who has fallen in love with a Jewish nurse, doesn't know what hit him when his real parents, Thelma and George, come for him and the whole thing is revealed to him. The young man suddenly is someone he used to dislike when he was Italian! Renato becomes Leroy, with an instant black family that is just the same as his adoptive one, but with a different color and cuisine.

This is a silly comedy that makes fun of different ethnic groups. Mike Cerrone, who co-wrote and directed, gives us a story that is best seen with a group of friends to laugh silly at the situations presented in the film. None of the material is meant to be offensive. Donald Faison is good as Renato. Whoopi Goldberg appears as the black mother who comes forward to claim him. Jamie Lee Sigler is the object of Renato/Leroy's affections.

When an Italian couple finds a seemingly abandoned dark-skinned baby on a river shore, they decide to raise it as their own. Some twenty years later, the baby has grown up to a young man named Renato (Donald Faison) who is proud of his Italian heritage and completely oblivious to his true roots as an African-American. One day his biological parents (Paul Mooney and Whoopi Goldberg) pay him a visit and tell him the truth about his origin, causing much confusion and unexpected situations. The new revelation also affects Renato's relationship with his new girlfriend Alli (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), a Jewish nurse with an overbearing mother.

The humour is mostly based on tired racial stereotypes: blacks love rap music and are good at sports and breaking into houses, Jewish parents are oppressive and obsessed about their children's future spouse while Italians are hot-headed and good at cooking. There are also fart and sex jokes and a predictable message about the importance of love and overcoming prejudices.

Not one of the jokes is funny and the senseless bumbling gets annoying very quickly. The lead actors can't make their characters feel real, but luckily the charismatic Paul Mooney and Whoopi Goldberg help a little. Linda Kash as Alli's mother is also decent. All in all, I can't really recommend Homie Spumoni to anyone despite a few OK supporting actors, as a comedy that lacks funny scenes as thoroughly as this one just isn't worth the time.

I have seen this MANY times. ;)

I think the filmmaker Mike Cerrone has a lot of fun debunking the unnecessary tension between ethnic, national & cultural identities. Philosophically speaking, we differ most in those affectations we learn from our family and our environment - yet besides these acquired habits we all still have in common all our most essentially human traits.

It's a peaceful message one must admit. Equality is the ability to relax, recognize human universality, and laugh without constant fear of hostile judgement. If we're all the same nobody can be special, and in this film several ethnic groups are equally fair game.

Jamie Lynn de Scala is amazingly cute. C'mon rent this it's worth a few bucks and you'll laugh.

This movie feels very cute and does not attempt to impose something on the viewer. After the long and hard day it is the best movie to relax and even learn something about love and tolerance towards each other. Since all people have different cultural, ethnical and other backgrounds. In the end we are all people and should live together in this world. Movie brings but does not impose very good agenda, which is to respect and love each other despite differences. There are some racist and stereotypical jokes in the movie, but they only strength the main aim of the movie, what is not to beleive in the prejudice and these stereotypes.

I've just finished watching this movie, and I was thoroughly entertained. Obviously this isn't worthy of critical acclaim, but should be given a consideration if you are looking for a light comedy.

You should know by now that the movie has a lot of stereotypical humor, which should be a given if you read the plot outline. But it doesn't detract from a pretty funny storyline, good cast and an enjoyable 90 minutes.

The movie has plenty of laugh out loud moments that fit well within the context of the outline. The story moves well, and gets you to care for the characters.

Definitely worth a rent.