Robert De Niro stars in new heartfelt movie ‘About My Father’

Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco is bringing his humor to the big screen, playing a son trying to get along with his in-laws despite his old-school Italian father, played by Robert De Niro who constantly embarrasses him in the upcoming Laura Terruso directed film ‘About My Father’.

Actors Leslie Bibb, Kim Cattrall, Brett Dier, Anders Holm and David Rasche also appear in the family comedy.

The clashing of two family dynamics

“He definitely has the nuance of my father, the attitude of my dad as my father,” said Maniscalco in an interview with People. “He definitely embodied the character. He really did a great job. I mean, my father has an accent and he doesn’t sound like my dad, but he definitely has the attitude and the relationship, I felt.”

The movie finds Maniscalco, who plays himself, bringing his father, Salvo, on a weekend trip with his wife, played by Bibb, and her wealthy and eccentric family (played by Cattrall, Holm, Dier and Rasche).

Maniscalco says that much of the plot of the movie was inspired by his real-life experience of meeting his wife, Lana Gomez’s family. The trailer begins with Maniscalco making the difficult decision to invite his father on the fourth of July weekend trip since he will otherwise spend the holiday alone.

After inviting him on the trip, a number of funny hijinks ensue as the family dynamics between Salvo’s tough, unaffectionate way clashes with his wife’s affectionate and caring family.

As the weekend progresses, the two families learn to appreciate each other, share each other’s traditions and form a family bond.

A meaningful encounter for De Niro

“The truth really lies in the relationship between my father and myself. It’s more relationship driven as far as the immigrant father and his old-school, old-world values and me growing up in a different generation, so those two worlds collided,” Maniscalco said.

Maniscalco also speaks on how memorable the moment was for his father, especially to meet De Niro. “It was a surreal experience, not only for myself but for my father,” Maniscalco recalls.

“I had posters on my bedroom wall of Casino and Godfather. These are experiences I shared with my dad over and over again. Next thing you know, he’s sitting across from De Niro in a living room in Oklahoma and giving him pointers on how to wear his hat or how to smoke a cigar.”

De Niro also learned quite a bit from Maniscalco’s father, especially how to wrap hair.

“My dad was there every step of the way for him during that scene. I was looking at that moment going, ‘I can’t believe Robert De Niro’s playing my dad.’ It was pretty surreal for me.”

‘About My Father’ premieres in theaters on May 26, 2023.