About My Father

Sebastian Maniscalco obviously loves his family and his Italian American roots. Yet after watching About My Father, moviegoers might not share his enthusiasm.

This semiautobiographical vehicle for Maniscalco expands upon the foundation for his immensely popular stand-up comedy routine, although his self-deprecating charms become lost in translation from stage to screen.

The star conveys an endearing enough screen presence, but the film’s playful tweaking of stereotypes and caricatures too often forsakes its grounded specificity in favor of broad culture-clash gags and low-brow slapstick.

After an amusing montage detailing his Sicilian roots, the storyline finds Sebastian playing a fictionalized version of himself as a Chicago hotel manager whose girlfriend, Ellie (Leslie Bibb), hails from an affluent family with Washington roots.

Specifically, Ellie’s father (David Rasche) is a hotel magnate while her mother (Kim Cattrall) is a politician. They extend an invitation to Sebastian for a Fourth of July weekend gathering at their estate.

That conflicts with Sebastian’s holiday plans involving his eccentric father, Salvo (Robert De Niro), a widowed hairstylist and immigrant with a very blue-collar mindset about money and family togetherness. If Sebastian is going, then Salvo will have to tag along.

Thus, the festivities involve Sebastian trying to impress Ellie’s snobbish family while warding off potentially embarrassing episodes involving Salvo. The latter is destined to fail, of course, but could lead to a greater appreciation of father-son bonds, warts and all.

Maniscalco recruited fellow paesano De Niro to play the senior half of another round of Meet the Parents, which the Oscar-winner handles with a winning balance of free-spirited gruffness.

Their relationship feels genuine and even touching in both banter and behavior. However, the narration-heavy screenplay by Maniscalco and veteran television scribe Austen Earl adopts a sitcom mentality while never giving the supporting characters enough dimension to make us care whether the central couple winds up together or apart.

Although director Laura Terruso (Work It) keeps the pace lively and the mood genial, the plot trudges through some familiar romantic-comedy paces while providing sporadic laughs.

Along the way, Maniscalco flashes the charisma and emotional range that could make him a cinematic leading man, so hopefully About My Father encourages him to move beyond his comfort zone.

Rated PG-13, 89 minutes.