Friends and Family

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Friends and Family ★★½ 2001

Very broad comedy tries to shoehorn in a few too many subplots but it's slickly-done and harmless. Danny (Gartin) and Stephen (Lauren) are enforcers for New York mobster Victor Patrizzi (Lo Bianco), who has no problem with the fact that they are gay. Nor do Stephen's parents, who decide to make a surprise visit to the city to celebrate Mr. Torcelli's (Pellegrino) birthday. But what Stephen's parents don't know is what the two actually do for a living—the guys have been passing themselves off as caterers. With Patrizzi's assistance, they arrange a celebration that unexpectedly turns into an inept hostage situation. 87m/C VHS, DVD . Greg Lauren, Christopher Gartin, Tony LoBianco, Rebecca Creskoff, Brian Lane Green, Meshach Taylor, Edward Hibbert, Beth Fowler, Frank Pellegrino, Tovah Feldshuh, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Frank Minucci, Patrick Collins; D: Kristen Coury; W: Joseph Triebwasser; C: John Leuba; M: Kurt Hoffman.