We will just get this out of the way early – “Mafia Mamma,” the new comedy starring Toni Collette, is not a good movie. It’s very much the misfire its rather tepid trailer suggests.

Yet “Mamma” proves to be a rather fascinating film to watch. Not only does Collette give it everything she can to the point of nearly dragging this dead carcass to acceptable levels, but the talent of director Catherine Hardwicke also can’t help but surface in some moments.

And then there is the screenplay – credited to three writers – which has some fleeting moments that are smart and savvy, but those usually take a back seat to running jokes that aim for sitcom level low-hanging fruit.

The premise is a little wonky. Collette plays Kristin, a wife and mother whose life completely falls apart when she discovers her husband is having an affair around the time her son leaves for college.

Just as her life begins to spiral, she gets news that her grandfather living in Italy, who she hasn’t seen since she was a very young girl, has died. With the encouragement of her friend Jenny (Sophia Nomvete), Kristin decides to go to Italy for the funeral and then use that time overseas to get her groove back.

When she arrives she discovers her grandfather wasn’t just a wine maker, he was the head of a powerful mafia family – with his dying wish that Kristin takes over the family business.

From there, “Mafia Mamma” becomes a fish out of water comedy where hilarity is supposed to ensue when she takes over the family business. In one of the better twists of the film, Kristin winds up being pretty good at this stuff (and her transition is somewhat believable).

The problem is the script doesn’t have confidence that the audience will buy it so a lot of things are thrown in – including a potential romance with a local (Giulio Corso) that moves along with such mundane predictability that it bogs the film down every time the plot thread is on screen.

In addition to Collette, there are a few characters that work, including Monica Bellucci as the woman helping Kristin learn the ins and outs of the family business, and Alfonso Perugini as one of Kristin’s loyal bodyguards.

Those are characters that deserved to be fleshed out more to give Collette someone to help with all the heavy-lifting. If only the script had been tweaked just a bit more – with wonderful scenes like a zoom meeting with her American employers more frequent – then perhaps “Mafia Mamma” could have worked.

The big winners here are the cast and crew who got a free trip to Italy to film this movie. As for the audience, “Mamma” is ultimately a frustrating case of what could have been – a watchable mess that never quite finds its footing.

Starring: Toni Collette, Monica Bellucci 

Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke

Rating: R for bloody violence, sexual content and language

Playing at: Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12

Grade: C-