Auf alles, was uns glücklich macht

It speaks beautifully about life as something so challenging but also so wonderful and unique. It portrays 40 years in life of 4 friends. All the ups and downs, love and hate and all the suffering that a real friendship can cause you. This film makes you feel something and wants you to live your life the best as you possibly can but to never forget the people that have been by your side.

Gabriele Muccino's Gli Anni Più Belli aspires to be an epic tale of friendship, love, and personal growth over four decades, but it ultimately falters under the weight of its clichés, melodrama, and lack of emotional authenticity. While the film boasts a talented cast and a polished production, it fails to deliver the depth and resonance necessary to leave a lasting impact.

The film's narrative, chronicling the lives of four friends from youth to adulthood, is disappointingly predictable. It relies heavily on well-worn tropes-romantic triangles, betrayals, and career struggles-that feel recycled rather than fresh. Instead of delving into the nuances of evolving relationships or societal changes over time, the plot skims the surface, offering little more than a series of contrived dramatic moments.

Despite the efforts of an accomplished cast, the characters lack depth and complexity. Their arcs are telegraphed from the start, leaving little room for surprise or genuine growth. Relationships that should feel profound and transformative instead come across as shallow, and the frequent melodramatic outbursts only highlight the lack of subtlety in the script.

Muccino leans heavily on sentimentality, often pushing emotional scenes to the point of excess. Moments meant to be poignant or heartwarming instead feel overwrought and manipulative, undermining the sincerity of the film's message. This reliance on exaggerated emotions results in a tone that feels more soap opera than cinematic.

While the film spans decades, it does little to meaningfully engage with the political, social, or cultural shifts of the periods it portrays. The setting often feels like mere window dressing, with the characters' personal dramas taking center stage at the expense of a richer, more layered context. This lack of historical depth makes the film feel disconnected from the very eras it seeks to represent.

The musical score, while pleasant, is overly saccharine and heavy-handed, often telegraphing emotions rather than allowing the story to evoke them naturally. This further detracts from the film's ability to connect with the audience on a deeper level, making even its most emotional moments feel forced.

Gli Anni Più Belli aims to be a sweeping exploration of friendship and life's complexities but ends up feeling like a shallow, overly sentimental melodrama. Despite its star-studded cast and nostalgic ambitions, the film lacks the emotional honesty and narrative depth needed to make it truly memorable. For all its aspirations, it delivers little more than a glossy, predictable tale that's as forgettable as it is contrived.

I bet everyone in their 50's will find connection with at least one character in this lovely Italian film.

This is a film about our lives: sometimes hilarious, sometimes sad, but always real. In general, this is a film about forgiveness.

What a film. It's about love, honest and sincere love. About mistakes, forgiveness, desire, friendship and love again. A film that has touched me incredibly.