Allen geht's gut

Giuseppe Tornatore is best known for the excellent, Oscar-winning "Cinema Paradiso," but unlike that film, "Everybody's Fine" is rarely talked about. One of my all-time favorite actors, Marcello Mastroianni (8 1/2, La Dolce Vita, Big Deal on Madonna Street), plays Don Matteo, an aging Sicilian father of five who goes on a trip throughout Italy to try and visit all of his children. This is a trip of revelation for Matteo, who believes his children to be happy and wealthy. Gradually, the truth comes down.

Throughout the movie, Matteo is haunted by dreams of a beautiful Felliniesque day at a beach in which a caravan of horses are destroyed by an ominous descending black balloon that also steals his children. This isn't the only thing in the film that is inspired by Fellini, there are a LOT of things in here that echo the great Fellini's work (including a shot of a bus driving by our main character, it's passangers with their hands on the windows glaringly staring at him...GOOD STUFF).

It's a very warm, sentimental film, and I thought it was quite wonderful. Legendary composer Ennio Morricone's extraordinary score fits the film like a glove.

He lives in Trapani in the far west of Sicily and undertakes to look up all his five children around Italy to find out how they really are. It develops into an odyssey of constantly overwhelming human experiences, as his insight into his children's lives keeps opening up ever widening abysses. Marcello Mastroianni makes perhaps the greatest performance of his life, and he is curiously and appropriately matched with Michele Morgan in her last performance - this episode is brief but provides an oasis of refreshing relief in this heart-rending but magnificent story reaching in spite of all some very harmonising conclusion. The real underlying story is told in brief flashes of hints of understatements, and like Mastroianni you'll have nio idea of what it is all about until he finally has his children for a lunch in Rome, which was all he wanted but which did not turn out as he had imagined. Take care of this film, you will be in for revolting experiences that will not run off.

Another excellent movie with an excellent actor and also an excellent director! This movie is not lacking anything. The theme is excellent and the way he approaches the truth, every son he visits he gets closer and closer........Tornatore's excellence. I have not seen "cinema paraiso" but this movie is definitely is a touching movie where 'everybody is fine' just to make one person fine. Can lying sometimes even for the good of a person can be positive?

Facing one's parents, the sentence mostly said from us is "everybody's fine". The grown up children don't want their older parents to worry about them, and hide their problems and sadness. Sometimes, to find the truth out may not be the best way. The movie shows us the permanent love from parents and reminds us to review the relationship with parents. Very touching and lovely movie.

This film should not be missed, it's an amazing job by one of the best actors, Mr. Mastroianni has shown us what acting is all about. What a wonderful story... what a wonderful film!