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LOS ANGELES — Catherine Hardwicke's new movie, "Mafia Mamma," is a comedic fantasy about a smart, talented, too-long underestimated American woman, played by Toni Collette, who suddenly becomes the head of an Italian mob family.
It is also something of a message from Hardwicke to Hollywood.
When Collette sent her the script (by Michael J. Feldman and Debbie Jhoon, based on a story by Amanda Sthers), Hardwicke was thrilled by the thought of shooting in Italy and working with Collette again. "Toni's got that comedic range. She's done so many serious things lately, so I was happy at the thought of seeing her not being thrown down a staircase or getting murdered — just Toni looking glamorous and having fun."
But she was equally motivated by the film's larger theme. "Of course, I could relate
