The Friggin' Mafia Movie

Running time: 86 mins

Director's Note: Never try to shoot a feature with only $350. Don't ever hire a homeless man as your script supervisor. And, last but not least, always do a thorough background check on all leading actors. They could be nuts! An appropriate statement once you've seen Shawn Flanagan's The Friggin' Mafia Movie -- a film that pretty much lets you know that filmmaking is hell! In fact, at some point, you are going to ask yourself if the filmmakers have edited together their film or the making of their film. Shawn Flanagan, himself, plays Vance Gordon, a director who is making a mafia movie, despite setbacks like quitting actors, a cinematographer who has not read the script and a crew member thinking he would be better in the director's chair. Oh, did we mention that the craft services dude, Chicago, ends up playing the lead? But his role is perhaps short-lived unless he can save the film crew, who has been taken hostage by Hollywood superstar Richard Lynch (played by himself). Can Chicago save the day? Perhaps, if he does what any good actor does. He must improvise. Deep in the heart of Silicon Valley, Shawn Flanagan and Dan L. Connolly's Almaden Films has created one of the wildest experiences to hit the screen. Reviewed by Al Owens