How do you lika my I-talian?
Sorry, shouldn’t be silly when my defending this film is downright serious. IMDB 6.9, really? Rotten Tomatoes Audience 64%? For shame. I agree more with the RT Critic’s score of 88%.
Acting first: Nanno Moretti, who wrote and directed the film, also played the rock solid brother. And yes, yes, John Turturro is getting rave reviews, and while I agree, let’s not discount the the real star of the movie’s main actress, Margherita Buy, who was incredible as the woman trying to be mom, daughter, director and girlfriend, unable to keep each plate spinning properly.
I can relate. Since high school when I broke down into a crying mess after trying to take on a job at an ice cream parlor (Golden Acres Dairy) while on the tennis team and getting straight A’s, I just have never been successful at doing more than, let’s say two roles really well. Hence, one child. Hence, great career, great mother, and zippo in the relationship department. No regrets though, absolutely.
Back to John Tuturro, who does indeed have a mystique about him. I chalk it up to the Italian bravado, and think back to my skepticism at Fading Gigolo (2013) (which I just realized was written and directed by Turturro) and my humble, ‘that worked!’ after viewing. In fact, note to self, go back and watch some of the films I missed him in.
So for those three actors alone the film deserves an 88.
Downfalls, one or two scenes that could have been edited out for not really adding to the plot (seemed like another original subplot was flashbacks/red flags showing the younger Margherita as needy and uncompromising, but this thread did not have continuity). A tiny quibble in significance to how relevant the topics are: mortality, dementia, quality of life, and the aforementioned difficulty with juggling responsibilities.
Go see it.
