Up at the Villa

I thought I was going to really enjoy this movie. Sean Penn is one of the finest actors in Hollywood today. He was absolutely brilliant in Dead Man Walking and Carlito's Way, to name just two. Kristen Scott Thomas is always very good. This movie also has an excellent supporting cast (Jacobi's 'I Claudius' still rates as the best performance I've ever seen on PBS). And I have enjoyed almost every movie I've seen dealing with pre-WWII fascist Italy.

But not this one.

To my surprise, this movie seemed to meander from scene to scene. The acting was uninspired and and the emotions did not seem genuine. I was never absorbed into the film and was constantly aware that Penn and Thomas were acting. And Penn seemed completely flat. At times, his low and garbled voice was a bit hard to understand, but I didn't rewind the video to hear what I missed as I just wanted to get on to a more interesting part... which never came. Perhaps this role was beyond Penn. Perhaps he just mailed it in. In any case, I was quite disappointed with this movie.

I was stunned by Kristin Scott Thomas when I first saw her in The Tenth Man (co-starring with Derek Jacobi in that movie too) many years ago. I've tried to catch as many movies with her as possible since then, but she's just never been as good, not even in The English Patient. Much of her material has been extremely dull, incl. Random Hearts and yes, this one, Up At the Villa. The premise of this movie isn't bad, but for some reason it fails to create that engrossing magic that makes all the difference. Kristin's character is too timid and irrational (except for in the end). Jeremy Davies as the poor refugee is not exactly bad, but there's still something totally wrong with his role.

Bancroft is flawless, but can't save the movie. Sean Penn is actually good. I don't like most of his roles in other movies - never have -, but he played a different, more complex and realistic yet rogue-ish character here than the hysterical ones he usually embraces (for God knows what reason), and I thought this actually worked. Still, his and Kristin's characters were just too different to make their romantic tension really believable.

I will give the movie credit for its entire political dimension, though, which wasn't in the original book that this movie is based on. It's rare to see this; in most cases it's the film that leaves out the book's political content.

I rate this movie a 5 out of 10.

I was intrigued when this film showed up on the day's TV roster and even more intrigued when I found out who the cast are and read a quick synopsis of the story. Most of the reviewers here, at IMDB, have made the movie sound dreadful. I found it hard to believe that anything with Sean Penn and Kristin Scott Thomas would be awful and had to check out the film for myself. My conclusion -- it is quite good, engaging, and definitely worth watching.

The lead actors as well as most of the supporting cast are rather wonderful. Though, I wish that someone slightly more dashing and not so limp played the role of the Austrian student, even if the stumbling manner and sudden onset of neurosis are required of the part. The scenery is inviting; the sets are great; the variety of accents is interesting; some of the extras are a bit shaky. The film is not so much about the setting, the era, or the social/political/economic spheres, though all of these have a firm bearing on the events and characters. It is chiefly about human actions under pressure of circumstances, about relationships, flights of fancy, slip-ups, weaknesses, trust and emotional maneuvering. "Up at the Villa" addresses these topics as good as any other period film.

I recommend this movie to those who, like I, enjoyed more than one of the following:

The Talented Mr. Ripley

Gosford Park

Howards End

Country Life

The Wings of the Dove

A Room with a View

The Remains of the Day

If you like stories about the British upper class and their foibles abroad, you'll enjoy"Up At the Villa." (What a rotten title!) Edward Fox is the perfect gentleman (isn't he always?) Sean Penn is the perfect cad. (Isn't he always?) And Anne Bancroft notches up yet another role as the faded bitch. (Doesn't she do anything else these days?) It's a pretty straight and predictable love story/murder who done it, except we know all along that the victim "done it" to himself. It's in something the same genre as "Tea With Mussolini" with lovely shots of Florence and a faithful recreation of fascist Italy.

My summary above, just about sums my opinion up. This is based on a W.Somerset Maugham novella, If so the writers sure did not make it seem like any Maugham story I ever read. The first 3/4 hours are Ok & seem like a Maugham story then it goes downhill fast into melodrama, with all the required overacting dramatics that this well known cast can muster. Kristin Scott Thomas is the lead,(cross between Bette Davis & Gene Tierney) Sean Penn is a charming gigolo type & very subdued & with a very strange accent,(at least it is understandable. Jeremy Davies is a young refugee who sets off all the ensuing drama, with a bad accent. Anne Bancroft overacts as usual as the countess who knows all the secrets. James Fox is a usual a pompous --- cant he play anything else.

If you like beautiful scenery & sets, see this otherwise, give it a pass, My rating is **1/2

as always

jay harris