WiseGirls

Plot synopsis:
The film centers around Meg (Mira Sorvino), a med student who, after a traumatic experience, moves to Staten Island to live with her grandmother while she gets back on her feet. Her grandmother's care giver, Mrs. Saladino, recommends Meg for a waitress job in a family-run Italian restaurant called 'Santalino's'. There, Meg meets Raychel (Mariah Carey) and Kate (Melora Walters) and becomes fast friends with the two. Not long after starting, Meg discovers exactly what kind of clientele she is serving, the Mob. Meg becomes an adored fixture and valued asset due to her medical training, offering medical advice to several of the mobsters. One night, she becomes the focus of anger from one of the mob men, who slaps her. This leads Frankie (Christian Maelen) and Mr. Santalino to kill the man. Frankie forcibly orders Meg to chop up the body. Now realizing what she has gotten into, she decides she needs to get out as fast as possible. She confides in Kate, and she discovers that Kate is actually an undercover police officer. Meg is then convinced by the police to help them in a sting operation. She is soon discovered and a shoot out ensues in the restaurant. She is believed to be dead. Raychel has moved on to a more subdued life. In the final scene, Kate returns on their birthday, July 11, and reveals that Meg is actually alive, and the girls celebrate the pact that they made the year before.

Tags: murder

Review:
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.
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.
All actresses do a great job, but the big surprise is Mariah Carey.
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.
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.
And the rest of the cast did their job flawlessly.'Wisegirls' is a feel good movie that everyone should see.
A great movie needs the writer, director and actors all to be very, very good.
They combine, they support, they do what needs to be done.At one point, Meg ( Mira Sorvino) who normally speaks so sweetly - like the girl next door, but in this moment of stress, her voice changes, and sounds so menacing.
Mira shines, Mariah is great, and Melora pulls off one the biggest surprises I've seen in ages.
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.
(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.
Mariah Carey is perfectly cast as a foul-mouthed waitress with a big heart in "Wise Girls".
Melora Walters, who was so good in "Magnolia", again provides the fireworks, especially in the second half of the movie.
"The best movie of 2002, Mariah really glitters".
I was also blown away by Mariah's great acting skills, she definitely proved herself here.
While she's there, Meg befriends the other two waitresses who work there (Mariah and Melora) and they become like a family amidst all the drama.
Meg gets into serious trouble later in the film and after a very surprising plot twist, the movie ends in a flurry of action followed by yet another surprise.
Mira Sorvino does an excellent job starring in this film, but it is really Mariah Carey who brings the personality and zest to the story with her character, a trash-talking, tough waitress with a heavy New York accent named Raychel.
The film has a few eye-covering, stomach-turning scenes involving lots of blood which might make you want to leave all children and young adults at home, but it was obvious that everyone in the theater really responded to the plot.
Mira, Mariah and Melora were actually in attendance for the screening, and the three actresses plus the director got a standing ovation from the crowd at the end.
But the big surprise was Mariah Carey(Glitter), she was very good, unlike in her film debut Glitter, and I have to say she is one of the spotlights in the movie, and most of the people agree with me.
i saw this movie not knowing what to expect exactly from an entertainer like mariah carey.
not only was the movie itself entertaining, funny and engrossing, mariah's acting was superb.
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.
Mariah is da best in this movie...too bad they didnt release it on film but hey.
Its gonna help her a lot even though "Glitter" really wasn't that bad of a movie so I don't know why people was hatin on her sooo much..
anyone could think it's good even if your not a Mariah fan.It's a great movie for anyone.
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.
"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.
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.
When this movie was being made, of course there were rumors of "cat-fights" between Mariah Carey and Mira.
Mira facial expressions made you feel all the pain her character went through and you could feel that she had met good friends and you believed they would be friends forever..This movie was excellent!.
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.
If this movie were to be released in theaters, people would definitely appreciate Mariah Carey even more.
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.
I've been a fan of Mariah Carey for many years, and also a fan of Mira Sorvino.
I can't force everyone to love her like i do, but the movie was great, and there isn't much more to say..
Complex plot (reasonably) with good acting, even from Mariah.
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..
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.
Mira Sorvino,(Meg Kennedy)"The Final Cut",'04, plays a waitress in this Italian establishment along with Mariah Carey,(Raychel),"State Property",'05, who is seen traveling from lower Manhattan to Staten Island via the Ferry, and viewing the former World Trade Center Bldgs.
I love Mariah and although her acting can never compare to her singing, she was amazing in this movie, especially when compared to her acting in Glitter.
Hopefully Mariah will act this good or better in the next movie she films, which should be Sweet Science.
I asked her about Mariah, since I'm a huge fan, and she said that she was really good in the movie.
Anybody who thinks Mariah can't act should see this movie..
A few times it happens to be a really good movie.'Wisegirls' is an excellent depiction of a normal working life unaware of the actual dangers that fester inside.
And Mariah Carey...she can only get more and more beautiful (forgive me, she's always been my "Vision of Love") and she is truly a very good actress.I recommend this movie for those who enjoy action, drama, and lovely songstresses all together in one suprisingly good package..
A character driven and dark crime thriller with a an excellent cast all around, particularly Mariah Carey ( and yes I think 'Glitter ' is her best work, and my favorite film of all time).
I usually don't write reviews on-line but I thought after all the flack that Mariah seems to have gotten about Glitter, I would just let people know Mariah was great in this movie.
All I have to say is that Mira, Mariah and Melora were all great in this movie.
the story was predictable, the acting was bad (except for Mira Sorvino) it was an over all waste of my time.
A very funny script combined with superb acting performances by the main three, particularly Mariah Carey made this film a very entertaining few hours.
Raychel, as a character was strong and strangely likable, the best lines seemed to be reserved for Mariah and she played them well, its a shame it was never really released commercially as this film is a lot better than many of the blockbusters in the cinema presently..
She looks like a striptent reject!Mira Sorvino is the light of this movie.
The Best Mariah Movie Yet. Mariah Carey is great.
The toughest part about watching this straight-to-cable movie is not dismissing it immediately just because Mariah Carey is in it.
The toughest part about watching this straight-to-cable movie is not dismissing it immediately just because Mariah Carey is in it.
Sure the Mob waitresses story is a stretch sometimes, but Mira's strong acting keeps it from sinking into blah-dom.
She's an Academy Award winner (Supporting Actress, Mighty Aphrodite) for pete's sake, and here she is in a movie with Mariah Carey.
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.
Mira Sorvino is a great actress.
The movie itself has a good plot, little slow at first, but hey, it gets bettah.
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..
Because it was OVER..........Good lord - the direction has TV movie written all over it and the general absurdity of the whole thing just underlines how dismal this poor effort is.As for the final scene - stunned groaning all round.Not even bad enough to be worth watching for the cheese factor.Mira Sorvino should be doing better work than this :-(( She was very cool in Replacement Killers, so we looked for other movies starring her.
I think Mariah Carey's performance this this movie was just OUTSTANDING...
I'm very pleased, and would like everyone to know Mariah is becoming such a lovely actress :) this is a TOP movie for those who cry during movies, please caution on watching around children due to profane words.
aside from that, i really loved Mariah Carey's acting in this movie.
There is a girl named Meg (Mira Sorvino) who decided to let behind her painful past, now she left her home in Missomi to be able to get a job as a waitress of a weird "familiar" restaurant in Stalen Island, New York who became in a dangerous place that belongs only to the mafia.
However so soon Mr. Santalino's admiration to Meg leaves troubles to Meg and company, Raychel (Mariah Carey) and Kate (Melora Walters) "This last hides a perfect secret".They will know that handle the mafia is not that big deal instead the survival fight it is.
Great casting (Marissa & Mariah are excellent) good visual settings & classy style, excellent editing, camera work & sound, well rounded story & well developed characters.
Good for Mariah Carey.
I thought that the Mariah Carey character really carried the film.
Had this movie been released before the Glitter film, she might have gotten a better break.
Mira Sorvino is wonderful as usual but the movie itself is an interesting environment for Mariah Carey the actress.
It was harmlessly entertaining fun, and I'm recommending to people as such.I thought Maria Carey's performance was particularly good, especially as I had no idea who she was until I read the credits..
It's to bad this movie did not get much acclaim.carey does a great new york accent,even though she was born in long island that is really not strictly new york.This is the one movie mira sorvino is actually good in.Carey plays a really serious role,and proves she can be a mature women..
mira,mariah,melora are total wisegirls!!!.
i thought it was just going to be a dumb movie with a dumb actress like mariah carey.
although carey was not the main character in the movie she gave the most brilliant performance.
I wasn't even aware that Mariah Carey was in another movie and this one caught me by surprise.
However, Mariah is not the lead in this film, Mira Sorvino is and she did an amazing job with Wisegirls.
All the acting was terrific and Mariah's New York accent and her attitude made this movie a real treat to see.
Mira Sorvino did a great job as always..
I will admit the title Wisegirls with Mariah Carey, I was not expecting very much.
Anyway, Mira was great as always and I thought their was pretty good chemistry between the two.
Engaging and entertaining, but don't meddle with The Mob. With a title like "Wisegirls," my expectations weren't all that high, but Mira Sorvino was in it, so how bad could it be?
I thought "Wisegirls" was great!Mira Sorvino provides her usual, wondrous performance, this time as a waitress who accidentally gets mixed up with the mob.
Mariah Carey does a good job as her mentor at the restaurant -- not an Academy Award performance, perhaps, but she did everything her role called for and did it well.I found the film to be quite absorbing.
Get Glitter out of your head, Wisegirls IS a great movie.
Mariah Carey plays Raychel who is a "quick talking, independent diva with a major attitude, who has everything under control, complete with the intention of owning this restaraunt and continuing all the mob activities.This movie is full of action and has a great story line.
But I will say that this is the first time I have seen Mariah Carey on film and after all the hype over glitter I was surprised to find her natural in her role.
You may critique Sorvino for her parts but she always does them well and I thought She and Carey were good.
All in all, check it out when its on cable like I did or rent it if you're a Mira Sorvino or Mariah Carey fan..
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.
Mariah Carey did a good job as well and didn't seem to try and "take over" the film.
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..
Mariah Carey's acting is OK, she doesn't need to do too much here.
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!
Absolutely stunning acting from Mariah and a very believable story and ending adds to this great masterpiece.
I can't believe that this was even made it was so bad.The bit where she's forced to cut the body up is so contrived it's not funny.Mira Sorvino is an ok actress, but saying yes to a script this horrid makes me wonder if i'll ever see another one of her movies.The beginning sucked, the middle sucked and the ending sucked.If this had been released in theatres I would have walked out.If you're the kind of a person who rents/watches this film to get a look at Mariah or Mira, then I suggest you stare at a picture of them on the internet.It'll be more redeeming..
The film's central character, Meg (Sorvino), is the waitress in this precarious situation, along with her two waitress friends, Raychel (Carey) and Kate (Walters).
Mira Sorvino plays the ex-med student who becomes a waitress at a mob owned restaurant.
Mariah Carey does a much better acting job in this film.