The Etruscan Smile

We saw this at the Palm Springs Film Festival in Jan. 2019. Our question after seeing a movie is always "Could this can been improved?" In this case, the answer is a firm "No." It's pretty much perfect within the bounds of what it set out to do. It tells a realistic story in a straightforward way (no time shifting! Hurray!). It held our attention throughout--no looking at watches. It's pretty much Brian Cox's movie since he is in every scene, and he does a great job. He had to learn Gaelic to play the part, and as far as I can see did a fantastic job.

Is it a comedy or a drama? Both. Certainly the comedic angle is almost always there, but there are touches (esp. the scenes with Rosanna Arquette) where it gets fairly serious and has a serious message. But it never hits you over the head with sentimentality or its "message." The director seems to have found a perfect middle ground. This seems to be getting rarer, so congratulations are in order.

Finally, it reminded me of a 2016 Finnish movie, "The Grump," which also featured a older man who lived in the countryside who visits his son in the big city (Helsinki, in this case). He is technologically inept, leading to several hilarious scenes, and he interferes in his daughter-in-law's business. It was more of a pure comedy than "Etruscan Smile." Curiously, neither Brian Cox nor the director were aware of the Finnish movie.

Saw this at the Reel Canadian Film Festival in Fernie, BC in January 2019. (The screenplay is by Canadian director, Michael McGowan). The audience loved it.

The cinematography and set direction are superb, the acting is lovely and the pacing is great. The character development is complex and layered; the relationships really develop over time.

Suspend your disbelief a little of the why anyone from Scotland would travel to the US for medical treatment without a referral or a real diagnosis. The book that the story is based on is set in Italy, and has the protagonist move from rural Italy to Milan, which makes a lot more sense. To have had Rory move from Lewis to Glasgow or even London, or from rural USA to San Francisco, would have been an easier sell, but then there wouldn't have been the transatlatic appeal or all the wonderful notes from the Highlands of Scotland.

There's a few other plot holes you'll need to get over too, but this isn't meant to be a a serious study. It's a lovely warm romantic comedy-drama gem that will make you leave the theatre smiling and wanting to spend more time with the people you love.

Just finished watching this, and what a joy. I just had a row with my sister so this tale of estranged father and son was just the ticket to remind me of what family really means.

Brian Cox was excellent as ever, he really gets better with age. A lesser actor might have played the role as a sterotype Scot, but his rough cutting edge at times kept his character grounded in reality.

I didn't even realise who some of the actors were until the end credits, everyone just inhabited their roles.

The shame is that some people will write something like this off as an afternoon movie not worth their attention, well, it's a lot better than many of the blockbusters out there.

My Dad put this on, one of his specials from the TV Guide. I hadn't read up about it beforehand as I usually do with most films, this time I just sat back and enjoyed the story. The development of the characters was gentle and the story line had me appreciating the time I have with my own father. The relationship between Rory, Ian and Jamie was emotional and it choked me up on several occasions, however Rory's character had me in laughter throughout with his hard witty Scottish humour. The film is beautifully shot throughout with breathtaking views of the Hebrides. Definitely a film worth watching.

The Etruscans predated the Romans, they were the ancient people that generally dominated the territory we know today as Italy. One scene in this movie is in a museum and an ancient Etruscan sculpture has the two people smiling. The Etruscan Smile.

This movie stars Brian Cox as 70-something Rory MacNeil, a ferry operator in rural Scotland. He is stubborn and gruff and thinks his home is without doubt the most wonderful place in the world. He is not totally well and he travels to San Francisco where his adult son lives with wife and young son.

It is immediately clear at the airport that the dad and son do not get along. So most of the story is actually about the two of them meeting in the middle, mending relationships, and the dad dealing with his diagnosis.

Good movie, Cox is his usual reliable self. The cinematography includes spectacular shots in both Northern California and rural Scotland. My wife and I watched it on DVD from our public library.