Paul Santoli’s 2024 indie comedy/drama “Because of Mika” is a special film. It’s poised as an addition to the zany comedy genre, and Santoli told me himself the media outlet FilmThreat likened it to Kevin Smith’s “Clerks.” And fair, the film starts in a very indie way, with the film’s star, Gino (Santoli) waiting on a lone block in Long Island for a car to arrive for a drug deal. When the buyers show, the film shows its hand in what kind of film it’s going to be—or so we think. Gino gets into an altercation with the buyers when they come up short, which almost ends in a street fight. Underneath it all, upbeat music plays as a cop across the street gives chase, the scene playing out in a very comedic way.
So many things work about “Because of Mika,” mostly because it knows what kind of film it wants to be. It’s comedic, very much like the aforementioned “Clerks,” but not as cynical nor as purposefully indie. Gino is someone we instantly relate to. His pizza shop boss John (a great Gerard Comple) wants him to drop the shady friends he hangs out with and head in the right direction in life. We glean John is a family friend. He talks about Gino’s mother and says he’s going to see his father over the weekend and asks if Gino wants to come. The 20-something reacts with anger and defensiveness and we suspect some kind of family dramatics are in store. But Santoli has other, sweeter things in mind.
Long Island and Ghostly Dogs
“Because of Mika,” is, of course about Mika, who is in this case an adorable German Shepherd Gino finds one night in the park next to a pink dog tag with her name on it. The stray quickly becomes an inseparable part of Gino’s life—much to his chagrin. He misses a party where he was meant to hook up with a girl, his friends all start to think he’s crazy, and the dog causes him to have multiple run-ins with the beautiful Vanessa (Becky Boggs), the latter who thinks he’s a stalker when he insists he’s there to return her dog. See, there’s a catch—Mika is a ghost and only Gino can see her.
With a hook like this, “Because of Mika” had the opportunity to veer off into zany territory, but with Santoli and co-writer Cooper Tomlinson’s care, it becomes something more. Of course it is funny. Mika taking off to various locations in town—with Gino laughably chasing her—never ceases to cause a laugh. Santoli has tremendous screen presence and likability here. In some of the film’s more tender moments, his quiet stillness adds layers and emotion. However, nothing is funnier than watching Gino cower in fear as he peeks in his apartment door, hoping Mika has gone (and his sanity returned), or hiring a friendly priest (a lovable Vincent Ticali) to bless his apartment and drive the dog away. It’s all written in an earnest and straightforward way, and Gino’s reluctance to accept the dog (he’s nice to Mika; this isn’t “Turner & Hooch”) in his life makes the film believable.
A Very New York Movie
What also makes the film work is that it’s very New York, and in a homegrown way, and not one meant for Hollywood blockbusters. Rather than highlighting key locations or trying to draw scale with landmarks, Santoli and the cinematography team make it feel authentic. Pizza shops and long city blocks give “Because of Mika” an authentic feel, much like Edward Burns’ “Sidewalks of New York” or the charming “Bella,” directed by Alejandro Monteverde. The city is not marketed here, but lived in. The film’s one voyage into Manhattan and Times Square is shot close-up and intimately; its characters are spending time there because they live there, not because a filmmaker thought it would make a good backdrop. My favorite shot in the film shows Gino and Vanessa exploring deep emotions over the Hudson River at night. Santoli and Boggs make the scene stick and are both capable actors.
A host of ancillary characters add humor to the film in the right places—and heart—as needed. The aforementioned Gerard Comple and Vincent Ticali both bring a fatherly relationship to the film. They want what’s best for Gino—and it’s not working part time at a pizza shop and selling pot on the corner. A friend Danny (Richie Radici) is fun to watch; the way that Santoli and Tomlinson juxtapose phone calls from Gino to Danny—and from Vanessa to her friend Kirsten (Mattie Jo Cowsert)—who are having a tryst—is comic gold. Yet amidst it all, “Because of Mika” makes you feel that these characters live fleshed out lives of their own when Gino and Vanessa are not on-screen. Additionally, Vanessa’s estranged father (Richard Cutting) plays some memorable scenes and has great chemistry with both Boggs and Santoli.
A Feel-Good Treat
But what works most about “Because of Mika” is that it is, at its heart, a feel-good film, something Sanotli admitted he wants to bring back. Its thematics don’t necessarily bridge new territory, but they bring welcome emotion to a cynical world. Viewers will doubtless be able to see where some of the relationships are going—particularly between Boggs and Cutting—but the way that the film balances heartwarming humor with its deeper treasure makes it flow easily. Its 1 hour and 30 minutes pass quickly and enjoyably. The chemistry between its characters (specifically between Boggs and Santoli, set on a romantic course)—and of course between Santoli and Mika the dog—are fun to watch.
Sometimes a movie just makes sense to make. Mika (who sadly passed last year) was Santoli’s dog. I don’t know the level of training involved to get a dog to work in this capacity, but the whole thing just works, and Mika becomes a lovable and endearing part of the movie. Sometimes dogs just know. In the tearjerker “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale,” its canine missed its owner and devoted a routine to celebrating him. Yet in “Because of Mika,” the dog’s spirit knows what its lead characters need to heal parts of themselves and move on from past pain and regrets. And the film’s winning argument is that with humor and smiles—amidst hijinks and Santoli’s hilarious delivery—you feel better after watching this film than before, which is something we could all use a little more of these days.
“Because of Mika” is available to watch on Amazon Prime. You can watch the film’s trailer in the window below.
