Wisegirls (2002)

(On DVD, January 2004) This straight-to-video mob story with a twist is decently entertaining, but not much more. Here, Mira Sorvino does well as an aspiring doctor forced to move to Staten Island to take care of her ailing grandmother. The plot is set in motion as her budding medical abilities serve her well when she stumbles upon dark dealings while working as a waitress at an Italian restaurant. The rest of the story has a familiar air to it: The budding friendship between three waitresses, the growing realization that the restaurant is a front for the Mafia, the impending crisis as cops and criminals collide around the protagonist… It’s, in many ways, cookie-cutter stuff, but it’s decently paced and not terribly done. Plus, Mariah Carey is scorching hot as Raychel, and her good performance can help forget her turn in Glitter. The bare-bones DVD has a few trailers, and that’s it.