Vinny tries to do everything so that Anthony doesn't cross paths with mafia and gang wars, as he is afraid that his brash and hot-blooded nephew might end up like his father - dead.
Variety said: Vet TV director Guy Magar takes an able cast through the paces of a story that feels stitched together from too many well-worn sources.
The story of an ex-Mafioso who tries to start a new life, but finds it difficult to shake family allegiances and his violent past, Lookin' Italian fails to overcome the script's familiar turns and hoary cliches.
Inconsistencies in tone, ranging from Revenge of the Nerds humor to bloody Tarantino-style mayhem and A Bronx Tale domestic melodrama, further distance pic from theatrical contention.
The Press Enterprise remarked, for example, that Lookin' Italian was "A powerful, smart and sassy independently-made film that comes together so well – blending comedy and drama, issues and entertainment – is a tribute to Guy Magar who made it for the low Hollywood cost of under $1-million!