American Cousins
Encyclopedia
American Cousins is a romantic comedy
about a Scots-Italian fish and chip shop owner who gives refuge to his Mafia
relatives when they go on the run. It was voted one of the top three Scottish films of all time by readers of The List magazine .
mobsters are almost killed when a deal in Eastern Europe goes wrong. They take refuge with their law-abiding cousin Bobby, who runs a fish and chip shop in Glasgow
, Scotland
. But when one of the Americans takes a shine to Bobby's girl and the other clashes with local hoodlums, Bobby realises he has to stand up for himself or risk losing everything he loves.
, screenwriter Sergio Casci, Director of Photography Jerry Kelly and Editor Lindy Cameron . The team had previously made three shorts: St. Antony's Day Off (1995), Rose (1998) and Dead Sea Reels (1996) which won the Vendôme
Film Festival award for Best European Short Film.
The film was produced by Margaret Matheson, whose credits include Antonia
(1995), winner of the 1996 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Screenwriter Sergio Casci was also nominated for the BAFTA Carl Foreman
Award.
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
about a Scots-Italian fish and chip shop owner who gives refuge to his Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
relatives when they go on the run. It was voted one of the top three Scottish films of all time by readers of The List magazine .
Plot summary
Two New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
mobsters are almost killed when a deal in Eastern Europe goes wrong. They take refuge with their law-abiding cousin Bobby, who runs a fish and chip shop in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. But when one of the Americans takes a shine to Bobby's girl and the other clashes with local hoodlums, Bobby realises he has to stand up for himself or risk losing everything he loves.
Cast
- Dan HedayaDan HedayaDaniel G. “Dan” Hedaya is an American character actor. He often plays sleazy villains or uptight, wisecracking individuals; three of his best-known roles are as Italian Mafia boss Tony Costello in Wise Guys, a cuckolded husband in the Coen brothers' crime thriller Blood Simple, and the scheming...
- Danny Nucci
- Vincent PastoreVincent PastoreVincent Pastore is an Italian-American actor, often cast as a mobster and best known for the role of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on The Sopranos.-Early life:...
- Russell HunterRussell HunterRussell Hunter was a popular Scottish television, stage and film actor. He is perhaps best known as the character "Lonely" in the TV thriller series Callan, starring Edward Woodward and that of Shop-Steward Harry in the Yorkshire Television sitcom The Gaffer.-Life:Born Russell Ellis in Glasgow,...
- Shirley HendersonShirley HendersonShirley Henderson is a Scottish actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire .-Early life:...
- Gerald LepkowskiGerald LepkowskiGerald Lepkowski is a television and stage actor, who has had guest roles in both Australia, Scotland and England, before landing the lead role in Dirt Game in Australia in 2009.- Early life :...
- Olegar FedoroOlegar FedoroOlegar Fedoro is a Ukrainian-born former Soviet performer who later became a Spanish and then English actor.He started with a work for Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker...
Production
American Cousins was the debut feature for director Don CouttsDon Coutts
Don Coutts is a Scottish filmmaker best known as the director of the 2003 feature film American Cousins. He is also a documentary and music filmmaker who has worked on numerous current affairs and entertainment productions, including the late night discussion programme After Dark.-Biography:Don...
, screenwriter Sergio Casci, Director of Photography Jerry Kelly and Editor Lindy Cameron . The team had previously made three shorts: St. Antony's Day Off (1995), Rose (1998) and Dead Sea Reels (1996) which won the Vendôme
Vendôme
Vendôme is a commune in the Centre region of France.-Administration:Vendôme is the capital of the arrondissement of Vendôme in the Loir-et-Cher department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It has a tribunal of first instance.-Geography:...
Film Festival award for Best European Short Film.
The film was produced by Margaret Matheson, whose credits include Antonia
Antonia
-People:* Antonia , including a list of people with the name* Any woman of the Antonius family of ancient Rome* Antonia of Balzo , queen consort of Sicily* Princess Antonia of Württemberg * Princess Antónia of Portugal...
(1995), winner of the 1996 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Awards
- Audience Award BAFTA ScotlandBAFTA ScotlandBAFTA in Scotland is the Scottish branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Formed in 1997, the branch holds an annual awards ceremony, the British Academy Scotland Awards , to recognise achievement by performers and production staff in Scottish film, television and video games...
- Best Screenplay BAFTA ScotlandBAFTA ScotlandBAFTA in Scotland is the Scottish branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Formed in 1997, the branch holds an annual awards ceremony, the British Academy Scotland Awards , to recognise achievement by performers and production staff in Scottish film, television and video games...
(Sergio Casci) - Best Actress Cherbourg-OctevilleCherbourg-Octeville-Main sights:* La Glacerie has a race track.* The Cité de la Mer is a large museum devoted to scientific and historical aspects of maritime subjects.* Cherbourg Basilica* Jardin botanique de la Roche Fauconnière, a private botanical garden.* Le Trident theatre...
Festival (Shirley Henderson) - Jury Award Newport Beach Film FestivalNewport Beach Film FestivalThe Newport Beach Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Newport Beach, California, that showcases more than 350 films to more than 30,000 attendees annually....
- Best Film Milan International Film Festival
- Best Director Milan International Film Festival (Don CouttsDon CouttsDon Coutts is a Scottish filmmaker best known as the director of the 2003 feature film American Cousins. He is also a documentary and music filmmaker who has worked on numerous current affairs and entertainment productions, including the late night discussion programme After Dark.-Biography:Don...
) - Audience Award Milan International Film Festival
Screenwriter Sergio Casci was also nominated for the BAFTA Carl Foreman
Carl Foreman
Carl Foreman, CBE was an American screenwriter and film producer who wrote the notable film High Noon. He was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s.-Biography:...
Award.