By LOU LUMENICK

Rating:

Posted: 2:19 am
September 5, 2008

NICE locations in Bos ton's North End lend some much-needed spice to Jason Todd Ipson's "Everybody Wants To Be Italian," an otherwise bland ethnic romantic comedy in the mold of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."

Hunky Jay Jablonski plays Jake, a Polish-American fishmonger who meets Marisa (Cerina Vincent), an attractive Hispanic veterinarian he mistakenly thinks is Italian.

Jake is in a funk. Eight years after his ex-girlfriend Isabella (Marisa Petroro) dumped him, he's still trying to win her back . . . despite the fact that she's now married with three children. So the stereotypically Italian gang at the fish store (veteran Richard Libertini is the funniest) encourages him to date Marisa and to pretend he's a paisan.

Marisa, meanwhile, is encouraged by neighbor (Judith Scarpone, another old pro) in her own Italian masquerade. The film plays out pretty much exactly as you would expect - which won't bother some people one iota.

Running time: 105 minutes. Rated R (sex, profanity). At the Empire, the Union Square, the 64th and Second, others.

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