Review: 'About My Father' is comic Sebastian Maniscalco's movie-length ego trip, and not even Robert De Niro can rescue it

An actor is only as good, sometimes, as their co-stars — which I mention because I feel for Robert De Niro, probably our greatest living actor, struggling through “About My Father” as he’s dragged down his co-star, the stand-up comic Sebastian Maniscalco.

Maniscalco and Austen Earl wrote this comedy, which feels like a 15-minute segment of Maniscalco’s stand-up routine stretched out to fill nearly 90 minutes. Sebastian plays Sebastian, a Chicago hotel manager who’s proud of his Italian heritage, embodied by his father, Salvo (De Niro), a semi-retired hair stylist who came over from Sicily. Sebastian is psyching himself up to propose to his artist girlfriend, Ellie (Leslie Bibb).

What’s getting in Sebastian’s head is having to impress Ellie’s blue-blood family, who trace their lineage to the Mayflower. Her dad, William (David Rasche), is CEO of a luxury hotel chain, and her mom, Tigger (Kim Cattrall), is an intimidating U.S. senator.

When Ellie’s parents invite the young couple to spend the Fourth of July weekend at their country estate in Virginia, Sebastian is hesitant, because he doesn’t want to leave Salvo alone in Chicago on his favorite holiday. (We’re told it’s because Salvo, who’s constantly concerned about the cost of things, doesn’t have to buy a gift for anyone.) Ellie tells Sebastian to bring Salvo along — because if he doesn’t, there’s no movie.

What follows is a tired series of culture-clash jokes, with both sides overloading on eccentric behavior. For Sebastian and his dad, there’s a nightly ritual of spritzing cologne before bedtime. On the other side, there’s Ellie’s brothers, the obnoxiously spoiled Lucky (Anders Holm) and the sensitive, aura-healing, kombucha-drinking Doug (Brett Dier). 

Director Laura Terruso is hamstrung by the thin script, and what looks like the oversized ego of Maniscalco, who’s used to telling his jokes to arena-sized audiences — and doesn’t do much to modulate his delivery for the movie screen. 

De Niro, even in a turkey like “About My Father,” brings something to the table. Under the bluster of Salvo’s loud-mouthed confidence, De Niro invests a good deal of heart to the character. Too bad it’s in a strained comedy that has no idea how to take advantage of his talents.

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‘About My Father’

★1/2

Opens Friday, May 26, at theaters everywhere. Rated PG-13 for suggestive material, language and partial nudity. Running time: 89 minutes.