I watched this movie very late at night and was very surprised as to how good it really was. Mira Sorvino was very good and very believable in her part. When she told the other two women why she couldn't get interested in anybody, the plot changed to something more than just a "gangster movie". Mariah Carey did a good job as well and didn't seem to try and "take over" the film. Melora Walters role did a change as well and the outcome had more action than expected. Making Mira do something with the body of the man that the gangster had killed was unexplainable but she was truly believable in her reaction to what she was expected to do with the body. This movie is worth watching more than once. Maybe you'll be surprised as to how good the actors do in the film and how GREAT Mira Sorvino was in it as well.
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doyce4sub8 May 2004
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desiree-tehiko9214 July 2014So after all this time of mucking around, not watching this movie, I finally decided to give it a watch. It had a promising plot line and fell under some of my favourite genres. Not to mention it had Mariah Carey in it so thought heck she can sing so may as well check out how good her acting is. I was pleasantly surprised, this was a genuinely good movie. I was constantly guessing what was going to happen! (of course there was some predictable bits but when isn't there in a movie right?) But it was the end that was actually worth waiting out for it actually surprised me as in threw me in one direction and then back in another, if you watch it you will see what I mean. Overall though the characters were well developed you could pick who was your favourite...or who you hated, and you couldn't fault the acting cause they were all actually pretty flawless. That's why I can't understand this rating on IMDb what are these people rating on? goes to show that sometimes just watch the movie anyway cause you could be pleasantly surprised. Give it a watch and you will hopefully be relatively impressed if not very.
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thien3142 August 2003Many of you are right. This movie should have been Mariah Carey's debut movie performance. If this movie were to be released in theaters, people would definitely appreciate Mariah Carey even more. When I first heard about this movie, I was really anxious to see it. I wanted to see Mariah in a movie that was actually a crime drama. This movie actually exceeded my expectations because it was really entertaining, with great performances by everyone. Mira Sorvino is a great actress as the lead role, but I think Mariah Carey's performance really stole the movie. She enlightened the movie, providing comedy and drama simultaneously. Definitely worth watching.
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simguy1020 October 2002this movie is a slow starter but for anyone who has half a brain they would see this was a good movie. at times you would think it was slow because at parts it was but at many parts it was a good solid movie. As for the acting it was great Mira Sorvino as always did her best and met high standards. Mariah Carey she is showing major potential.Melora Walters topped off the trio, in this movie these three talented women make this movie. and if you can't see that you should get a cat scan. This movie is an A- in my book!
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edblask046 July 2004This is a good girl buddy movie for the most part. It even shows that Mariah Carey can act even if she is not yet at the level of excellence as Mira Sorvino and Melora Walters.
The acting is realistic to a certain extent as is the screenplay with the possible problem of stereotyping Italian-Americans a little too much as members of the Mob. A little bit too much of Hollywood writing the criminal history rather than reality writing it.
This seems a very under rated movie that should be seen by Mira Sorvino fans. Shows that the quality she demonstrated in the Mighty Aphrodite was more than her having a few good weeks when she good act really well. -
gandalf_a_19995 October 2006A waitress who has been to med school who should have stayed and became a doctor. Now she finds herself working in a restaurant which is run by the mob.
She witnesses killings and tries to get out but comes into contact with the cops who force her to get some evidence on these mob guys.
Not a movie I would recommend.
I thought it would be worth a watch with some more action or some more scenes to show how bad these guys are. While there is plenty of evidence to show how bad they could be, we're not shown it.
Mariah Carey's acting is OK, she doesn't need to do too much here. Mira is convincing as she slowly realises shes in a life threatening position after seeing too much, but it simply isn't enough. -
LeonLouisRicci17 August 2012Overlooked sleeper that for some reason failed to get a theatrical release. Go figure. With so many awful stuff making it to the big screen, this one slipped through and got the bum's rush to cable and video.
Remarkable performances by the female leads propel this under appreciated underworld movie that uses a balance of camaraderie and crime to give us an entertaining affair with some touching turns and violent vignettes.
The bar scene that sets things in motion is a nod to Goodfellas (1990) and that said the Goodfellas here are pretty much out of central casting and the "twist" ending has been used many times but this film is better then most low budget mob movies. -
"Wisegirls" turns the spotlight on Sorvino who plays an ex-med-student who breezes into town, takes up residence with her sweet little old granny and then takes a job as a waitress in a restaurant which caters to the mafia. Supposedly set in Staten Island, this lame flick is really set in a restaurant where it spends most of its claustrophobic run with Sorvino getting lumps and money from the mob while serving dinners and saving lives with her medical know-how. The flick doesn't work in any genre, though it seems to be trying for a kind of dark comedy/drama "girl power" thing while doing little more than proving once again that Carey can't act and Sorvino needs a good agent. Awful stuff in spite of the good things the Carey music fans had to say about it on this website. (D+)
Note - At this writing 78% of the 226 IMDB.com users voting rated this flick a 10. So much for statistics. -
FrightMeter10 March 2003It's really a shame that this movie did not get at least a limited theatrical release. Compared to some of the crap that did get into theaters last years, this movie is a masterpiece. But seriously, I really did not know what to expect when I rented this, but what I got was a movie that I very much enjoyed and a movie that I thought was superbly acted. Oscar winner Mira Sorvino is great, and plays a woman with a troubled past who moves to New York to escape it and to be close to her elderly grandmother. In desperation, she takes a job at a fancy Italian restaurant, that, unknown to her, is run be the mob. At the restaurant she befriends two waitresses played by Mariah Carey and Melora Walters, and what develops is a wonderful friendship, that is until a secret that one of them has is revealed and the illegal activities of the restaurant come crashing down around them. It really is a great movie and I strongly suggest it. All actresses do a great job, but the big surprise is Mariah Carey. She is great and projects a confidence and attitude that is unmatched by her co-starts. This really, really should have been her mainstream acting debut, not the flop Glitter that has tagged her as an untalented actress, because as this film proves, she isn't and I think we can expect more great roles for her. So give this film a chance, it is definitely one of the better movies of it's type that I have seen for awhile.
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eddax20 June 2003The toughest part about watching this straight-to-cable movie is not dismissing it immediately just because Mariah Carey is in it. Once I got over that, I found Wisegirls surprisingly warm, mainly due to Mira Sorvino's presence. Sure the Mob waitresses story is a stretch sometimes, but Mira's strong acting keeps it from sinking into blah-dom. And despite it all, I actually like how it ended.
What's with Mira's career anyway? She's an Academy Award winner (Supporting Actress, Mighty Aphrodite) for pete's sake, and here she is in a movie with Mariah Carey. She's been on a steady spiral downhill, appearing either in bombs like At First Sight and the currently-playing Gods and Generals, or little-seen moves like Between Strangers and The Triumph of Love. Even Marisa Tomei, the much-maligned Supporting Actress winner who received tremendous amount of flack for not deserving the award, has gotten her second Oscar nomination, finally disproving her critics.
Mariah Carey proves once and for all that she really can't act. If she weren't the famous personality that she is, her character in the movie would've been summarily dismissed as a minor role and relegated to an unknown actress. Whose bright idea was it to pair her up against an Oscar winner anyway? Do they really want us to draw comparisons? And would Ms. Carey please give up the notion that she can be an actress and focus on saving her flagging music career? Pretty please? -
moonspinner556 November 2002Extremely minor effort from director David Anspaugh could not find a distributor upon completion, which is why I saw it on Cinemax the other night. It plods, it's underwritten and confusing, and Mira Sorvino(playing a troubled young waitress at a mob-infested Italian restaurant on Staten Island)looks wrung out, but the film does benefit from a colorful supporting turn by Mariah Carey as a foul-mouthed waitressing vet. ** from ****
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cynharm29 March 2002I recently saw this film at a student-only screening at the Vancouver Film School. All in all, a fine little film. Mira shines, Mariah is great, and Melora pulls off one the biggest surprises I've seen in ages. The direction is strong, as is the script, with several genuine plot surprises to keep the action going. Also of note is the supporting cast of Italian "heavies", who alternate between cool charm and outright scary. Weaker points include a very slow beginning, and a somewhat implausible scene in which Mira, at gunpoint, is forced to do something criminal that stretches logic. Also, the music in this film is terrible and really detracts from the viewing experience. Still, these are minor caveats for an otherwise surprisingly serious and touching film. With a title like WISEGIRLS, I was expecting a comedy. Score this one 8/10.
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greg_mccain14 November 2021A great cast and concept wasted on lazy writing and weak direction. There are moments when the actors, especially Sorvino, pull some complexity out of the thinly developed characters and situations. But the last 30 minutes are unintentionally laughable with cliche dialogue and several deus ex machinas that upend any attempts by the actors to keep the story plausible.
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Johnham8014 November 2002Please, this movie was a sub-par effort by an above-average actress, a girl who should stick to singing, and a bunch of no-names. In my opinion, it was a very inaccurate portrayal of the mob. I mean, what mobster forces a girl to cut up a dead body? At other times during this movie, you couldn't even tell what the actors were saying because the lines were so errantly jumbled together.
I would like to believe that Mira Sorvino will have better judgement next time she picks a script. -
californicationgurl18 June 2003I've been a fan of Mariah Carey for many years, and also a fan of Mira Sorvino. I think this movie was excellent! In no way was this movie a waste of time. I think all the characters were portrayed to perfection. Mariah may have had bad reviews for Glitter, ( undeserved) but she certainly did prove them wrong in WiseGirls. I can't force everyone to love her like i do, but the movie was great, and there isn't much more to say.
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paul_haakonsen26 December 2022Right, well when I sat down to watch the 2002 movie "WiseGirls" here late in 2022, for the very first time ever, I must admit that I wasn't really harboring much of any high expectations for the movie, seeing that the movie had Mariah Carey on the cast list. But with "WiseGirls" being a movie that I had never seen or heard about before, of course I opted to watch it.
And color me impressed. Writer John Meadows put together a script for the story that proved rather entertaining. Sure, "WiseGirls" wasn't exactly rocket science, but the script proved to be enjoyable, and that is essentially what a movie has to do, isn't it? Entertain you.
The acting in the movie was good, and I do like the way that Mira Sorvino carried the movie, and I have to say that Mariah Carey wasn't as bad as I had initially expected in acting. In fact, she was actually surprisingly good, so I was definitely impressed with that. The movie also have some really good performances from the likes of Arthur J. Nascarella, Saul Stein, Joseph Siravo, Christian Maelen and Anthony Alessandro. So the movie definitely had a very good cast ensemble.
Director David Anspaugh delivered quite a nice movie with this 2002 crime drama thriller. I was genuinely entertained by the movie and it made for a good viewing experience. If you haven't seen the movie already, then this is definitely a movie worth checking out.
My rating of "WiseGirls" lands on a six out of ten stars. -
When Mariah Carey gets my 'best supporting actor' award for a film, I know I've got a problem.
Whoever cooked up this awful story of a tragic widow trying to start fresh as a waitress in an Italian restaurant with a big back door should have saved everyone the pain of enduring its incarnation, which is horribly acted with the cringe-worthy moments rolling in far too often. The closest thing we'll see to realistic drama tickling the mafia's underbelly this side of The Godfather and Scarface is the 'Best of The Sopranos' DVD release.
With someone like Mariah Carey in the cast, the least we could have expected is a decent soundtrack to pack a little Marlon Brando in its punch. Unfortunately we're left with something a little short of Danny De Vito. -
kosmasp4 June 2023No pun intended and in a sense maybe they are ... at least connected that is. Mira Sorvino is giving it her all - and while she may have a few instances in the movie where you may think what is happening (acting wise), it never goes downlow Mariah Carey ... and I say this while I kind of love her - but her acting abilities seem limited to say the least.
Still there is much to discover here and while it is best for you to suspend your disbelief. The movie does feel more like a mixture of different genres. And have seen worse - you can tell it is very professional - the twists on the other hand may not be too surprising. Which is ok - it was nice seeing some of the actors ... trying their undercover ... -
DanielAlandoGarcia28 June 2006Wow! Who would have thought that a movie with Gwenyth Paltro or Mira Sorvino (whatever her name is!) in it would have been overshadowed by the powerful acting performance of Mariah Carey! Seeing Mira's nice ones hang out of her low cut black dress was definitely the low point in the film! The high point was most definitely brilliant acting from Mariah! How about the scene where the guy shoots his nose off, and Mariah's reaction to it. The scene called for someone to be shocked or horrified or disgusted that they had to plug up the nose holes on the man's blood soaked face - most actors certainly would have played it that way. But not Mariah! She had the foresight to giggle throughout such a dramatic scene.
And of course the shoot-out between the wise guys and the feds is classic. So true to life! I mean, wise guys lawyers can never get them off from such serious legal charges. So of course a shoot-out with a much better armed fed/swat forces was the best course of action! Bravo story writer! All in all, one of the best films I have seen in recent years. Absolutely stunning acting from Mariah and a very believable story and ending adds to this great masterpiece. All involved should be truly proud! Mira -you should wear dresses like that more often! -
atzimo21 April 2004To be completely honest, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this movie. In fact everything is perfect. I have no idea why 'Wisegirls' has such low imdb rating.
The story is about a girl played by Mira Sorvino who starts working as a waitress in a restaurant run by Mafia. It starts as a drama but ends up in suspense.
Mira Sorvino played the role perfectly. Maria Carey and Melora Walters were great too. And the rest of the cast did their job flawlessly.
'Wisegirls' is a feel good movie that everyone should see. You won't regret it, guaranteed.
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Before even ten minutes have passed the script presents us with a fair bit of dialogue that inspires a quizzical "what?" in reaction, and this will be the case elsewhere throughout these 95 minutes. It's also readily apparent how heavy-handed the movie is going to be about its mobster pretenses, to say nothing of needless, tasteless dialogue with dashes of various prejudices; it takes every opportunity to emphasize the "tough guy" personas with which many supporting characters are painted. One should also note that with all due respect to David Anspaugh, his direction here feels a little forceful, especially evident at some points more than others. These are the most noteworthy problems of 'WiseGirls' to greet us, doing so from almost the very start, and it's unfortunate because when you look past the more indelicate or inelegant facets of the film I think there's a lot to like here. I'm not saying this is anything super special or essential, and it has definite flaws - but it also has definite strengths, and more than not it's fairly well done and enjoyable.
While the writing has distinct sore spots (instances of dialogue and scenes), the characterizations are notably stronger, particularly the principal three. Kate is sweet and bubbly, belying more complexity; Raychel is pure brash confidence and loyalty; conflicted protagonist Meg tries to find her center amidst new friends, a high-stress job, and the special circumstances of both. Other characters are more broadly suitable than fully fleshed out - but in fairness, I believe even those lesser supporting characters benefit from excellent acting across the board. Arthur J. Nascarella, Christian Maelen, Joseph Siravo, and others turn in intense yet splendidly nuanced performances that bring both the charm and the violence of the mob to vivid life. Melora Walters is a total joy as Kate, showing greater range and skill than the part first portends. Mira Sorvino hasn't achieved her star power for nothing; she commands the lead role with fantastic poise that tells me I need to see more of her movies. And to my delight, Mariah Carey almost threatens to upstage them all. I know how much bad press she got for 2001's 'Glitter,' but to be honest I didn't think that movie was half bad, and I took no issue with her performance. Here she absolutely stands out, bringing Raychel to life with vibrant spirit that shows even more than before that she has the earnest skills to be an actor should she decide to take on more work in the industry.
The plot cooked up by John Meadows is a mixed bag to some degree, dividing its time and sometimes feeling imbalanced between the mobster core and flavors of "three woman finding friendship." I'd also note that the twist that precedes and defines the third act is arguably a smidgen common, which also surely goes for the narrative arc at large. In fairness, that's hardly a matter exclusive to this title. More importantly, despite imperfections I'm inclined to think that 'WiseGirls' tells a meaningfully compelling, enjoyable story of a woman unwittingly getting in over her head, and it does so quite well. It's a tale we can get invested in, with characters that are relatable and sympathetic; the protagonist's arc is very ably absorbing. There are big bumps in the road along the way (early exposition is troubled; the scene where Meg reveals some backstory exceeds what suspension of disbelief can save), but the rough patches get smoothed over as the length progresses to the point that they're mostly forgotten. I think the ending could have been more impactful if Meadows went more dour and downbeat, yet while as written it's a little too easy, all the same I'd be lying if I said the last scene weren't duly satisfying.
To the credit of those behind the scenes, I think all their contributions are pretty terrific. Instances of violence and stunts come off great, as do the effects that are employed; cinematographer Johnny E. Jenson and editor Christopher Cibelli turned in good work. Some songs on the soundtrack are more appealing than others (personal preference); while Keith Forsey's score tends to stick to the background, I think it's pretty swell. The production design and art direction are solid, and the costume design and hair and makeup are fetching. In some cases I think these elements are guided to ends that are too on the nose, the camerawork maybe most notably, but much more than not I think this is well made. Truthfully, I had mixed expectations when I sat to watch, but I'm rather pleased with the result. The end product would have been improved with a tad more care in Anspaugh's direction, and more tact and mindfulness in Meadows' screenplay. Yet while as a whole the picture isn't necessarily altogether original, or demand viewership, I'm happy to say that all in all it's really good. I think the acting is what makes the most substantial mark here; even with some faults, the storytelling is engrossing, and the film-making is overall great. Unless one is a diehard fan of someone involved it might not be a must-see, but when all is said and done I'm glad I took the time to watch 'WiseGirls,' and I think it earns a firm recommendation. -
ronandkatie22 January 2002Mariah Carey is perfectly cast as a foul-mouthed waitress with a big heart in "Wise Girls". Mira Sorvino is deserving of a second Academy award for her portrayal of a waitress struggling to survive in a mafia run restaurant. Melora Walters, who was so good in "Magnolia", again provides the fireworks, especially in the second half of the movie. This is David Anspaugh's best film since "Hoosiers", with newcomer John Meadows providing a fine script with plenty of twists and turns. We saw this film at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival where the packed house gave a standing ovation at the end of the film.
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boude30 August 2003Mira Sorvino is wonderful as usual but the movie itself is an interesting environment for Mariah Carey the actress. Mariah owns the part of Raychel. She has excellent stage presence and great character dynamics. Carey was wonderful to watch. I'm looking forward to seeing her in an appropriate role again.
Carey got a bad rap with Glitter. It was a terrible movie but it would have been terrible no matter who played the part of Billie Frank.
If you are looking for an alternative to a night of the Sopranos give Wisegirls a view. -
MClfe29 December 2008OK this movie revolves around Sorvino- starts out really, really slow. Shes an ex-med student that is looking to start over and decides to move in with gma and get a watering job at a Italian restaurant. There she meets two other waitress (Carey and Walters) but, soon realizes that not only food is on the menu. You may also get your fix on drugs and even some murder :) From there it shows her inside struggles knowing what shes dealing with and what she should do about it. This movie is really great. This definitely proves that Mariah Carey can hold down a role- maybe not a headlining role but she can definitely act. The worse acting comes from Walters who shows no emotion in her face when she says anything.. Surprising that Carey can pull off acting over Walters who has been in th game for many years. Definitely try this movie out- its even worth the purchase. You wont be disappointed.