What influential SWFL clan is the focus of new film starring Robert De Niro? 8 things to know
Phil FernandezThey developed Park Shore. They developed in Bonita Bay. They developed Mercato and the Village on Venetian Bay. They're a major force behind the Naples Winter Wine Festival and numerous Southwest Florida philanthropic causes and community boards.
And now the Lutgerts are part of the focus of a comedy by actor Sebastian Maniscalco that debuted across the country Memorial Day weekend and stars two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro, Sex in the City's Kim Cattrall and model-turned-actress Leslie Bibb. What do they think of how they were portrayed? Here's eight things to know:
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1. What is the movie's name, and what is the premise of the comedy?
"About My Father" centers around Maniscalco, who is encouraged by his fiancée to bring his immigrant, hairdresser dad played by De Niro to a weekend get-together with her "super-rich and exceedingly eccentric" family, who in the comedy are known as the Collins.
"The film is about two different families, from very different socioeconomic backgrounds, colliding during a holiday weekend, before they realize that those differences are what make them unique," said Maniscalco, who plays himself. "Sebastian is caught between these two worlds. My character’s goal is to navigate through those differences and somehow bring the two families together.”
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2. Who are the Lutgerts, influential family the film is partly based on?
With his late father Ray Lutgert, Scott Lutgert has guided the development of 17 luxury high rises in Park Shore, a half-dozen in Bonita Bay and numerous other projects in Collier and Lee counties since 1970 through The Lutgert Companies he chairs. You'll read more about his endeavors and the latest on his firm in an In the Know scheduled for next week.
His wife Simone, a retired sales and marketing executive, has led many of the family's philanthropic and volunteer efforts for organizations such as Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, the Naples Botanical Gardens, the NCH/Lutgert Cancer Center, the Shelter for Abused Women & Children, the Naples Children and Education Foundation and the wine festival, founded in part by her husband.
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3. How is comedian Sebastian Maniscalco related to the Lutgerts?
Maniscalco is married to Lana Gomez, the stepdaughter of Scott Lutgert and daughter of Simone Lutgert and her late husband, Barry Gomez.
"He's a great son-in-law. In a way, he's more like a brother than son-in-law. He's great guy, fun to be with. Great father," Scott Lutgert told me in a Wednesday interview. "Sebastian is very funny. He takes some elements out of the family, and it gives him a germ of the an idea. Then he exaggerates or changes it or stuff. It's not really reality, but it gives him a base, and it's contrast with this and that."
4. Who's playing what prominent roles in 'About my Father?'
"Like I said, it's loosely based on the family," said Lutgert, whose character is portrayed by actor David Rasche, a University of Chicago master's graduate just like him. "Kim Cattrall is Lana's mother in the movie, but she's also a United States senator. So you can see how far off some of this stuff gets. (Maniscalco) knows we're OK with it. He does it in good humor."
The Cattrall character goes by Tigger McArthur Collins while Bibb has the Lana Gomez role and was named Ellie, who's the antithesis of Sebastian’s cautious ways.
5. Trailers show clips involving yacht and eating peacock. That happen?
"No, we didn't eat a peacock," Lutgert said." That's not our yacht. We don't have a yacht, but he figured these people needed to have a yacht so he invented it."
But like the Collins clan, Lutgert does have fancy digs. The county appraiser's office puts the market value of his Gulf Shore Boulevard mansion at $21.4 million. Market value ‒ what a home would actually sell for ‒ is usually higher than county appraisals, especially in hot markets.
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6. What else really did occur, at least sort of occur, like in the flick?
"Actually, his dad didn't really have to meet us for him to" marry, Lutgert said. "Sebastian did come and ask Simone if it was all right if he asked Lana to get married. He did do that, but the father didn't come or have to meet us or anything like that. But Sebastian is pretty old school, pretty polite, pretty traditional and stuff, and he did come and ask Simone. It's like loosely based.
"I mean, it's a lot of fun. All of our friends are looking forward to seeing the movie. A lot of people are, but I think it will be real entertaining. The acting is good in it. De Niro is great in it."
7. What are a few lines between Robert De Niro and Maniscalco?
▸Sebastian commenting to the observation from his father, Salvo, about the Collins hugging their daughter upon their arrival: "It's called love and affection, Dad. Unlike you, when we met at the delivery room, you chose to shake my hand." Retorted Salvo: "What else was I supposed to do? We just met."
▸Sebastian: "You fed them their pet peacock and you thought I was crazy for worrying that you were gonna make us look like some bad Italian stereotype?"
Salvo: "That's right. Now, help me get rid of the evidence."
Sebastian: "And why does it seem like you've done this before?"
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8. What did Steve Harvey say on the Lutgerts' Family Feud appearance?
The Lutgerts got the laughs from Harvey and the audience on a previous prime time "Celebrity Family Feud" appearance with Maniscalco. The host cracked up to what turned out to be a correct reply when he asked Scott Lutgert what he'd do if the deceased at a funeral suddenly sat up in his casket. His answer: "Hey buddy, how you doing?"
And then later, a surprised Harvey stood in silence, staring at Simone Lutgert for 13 seconds after one of her responses. "Miss Simone!" Harvey then said to the points-worthy "magic in the sack" answer to the question of why a single woman might refer to her blind date as "The Magician." "Well, Scott, you've got to follow your wife's answer."
Coming next week to In the Know: More about the Lutgerts, their company and a half-century-old Southwest Florida mystery that's now solved. Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@gannett.com), who grew up in Southwest Florida, writes In the Know as part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Support Democracy and subscribe to a newspaper.