Roseanna's Grave

Roseanna's Grave begins with a trapeze artist walking a tight-rope in the middle of an Italian city. The clown falls and dies. He takes his place in the overpopulated graveyard. Now there is only one grave left. Jean Reno's sick wife wants that grave. He can't let anyone die. This film is a comedy?

And what a comedy. Jean Reno gives a sweet performance as the loving husband attempting to keep everyone in the town from harm. The length that he goes to, to honour his wife's wishes is remarkable. He convinces the family of a man in a coma that he is still alive when the doctors tell them he has no chance, he even kills a man by accident but hides the body.

This is a love story and the chemistry between Ruehl and Reno is refreshing. Ruehl is remarkable as the dying spouse. She hopes for her sister and her husband to get together but they don't like each other at all. It all builds up to a tragic outcome but the ending is a surprise, a wonderful surprise to a wonderful movie!

Most of us know Jean Reno for his roles in violent actionmovies but in this movie you can admire the hidden talent of the French topstar as this is a comedy... And directed by Paul Weiland who has been involved with most of the TVseries from Rowan Atkinson (Bean, Blackadder). The story is morbid and hilarious at the same time as it tells the story of some small Italian village in where the cemetary only has 3 places left. Roseanna's wish is to be buried next to her daughter who died at a young age and as she's suffering from some cardiac disease this day comes sooner than she can think of. It's Jean Reno's task as her husband to keep all the inhabitants of the village alive to guarantee Roseanne a free place. This movie makes space for some very funny situations (Jean Reno is at times superb) but this movie cant decide whether it will be a black comedy or some burlesque thing and it's that grey area that makes For Roseanna (also released as Roseanna's grave) just a nice movie, just two stars and a half...and you cant blame the actors especially not Jean Reno or Polly Walker (Roseanna's sister Cecilia)

This movie should be filed on all video shelves next to the wonderful Il Postino and Cinema Paradiso. Though this is not actually in Italian, the style and character of these other two films is evoked. It may not be as moving as these Italian masterpieces, but I would argue that it is more amusing.

It is one of those movies that gives the spirit of a place, draws you in to it and makes the audience genuinely care about the characters. If you feel disillusioned with blockbusters or just need a bit of cheering up after a hard day, this is your movie.

Amazingly, it couldn't get a cinema release over here, and it is very little known. My advice is to try it, and soon, like me, you'll be recommending it to one and all.

Jean Reno is one very appealing and versatile actor, and here he's surrounded by attractive and loving women (as is probable in his off-the-set life). The setting is Italy so rural, the VCR tape should come with it's own bottle of Chianti. And, there's a clever ending which puts a neat exclamation mark to the story's moral. Probably filmed in Italian as well as the English version available in the USA.

I absolutely loved this film. It's an unpromising subject - a man with a dying wife - but the excellent Jean Reno gives such a compelling performance that you cannot help but be sucked into the story. It is funny, moving, wonderful, beautifully acted and superbly filmed. And best of all it is good, clean entertainnment. Director Paul Weiland is sufficiently confident in his cast, his screenplay and his abilities that the story is allowed to take centre stage. There is nothing gratuitous, nothing formulaic about it Roseanna's Grave, it is a film of the old school: honest and genuinely entertaining.