The Etruscan Smile

Always worth watching a film with Brian Cox in it. But adds nothing new to the genre, but well made all round.

I watched this film yesterday evening and am still slightly in awe. The combination of humor and more emotional scenes was honestly breathtaking. The story teaches a very important lesson about family and values.

This was a sweet little movie with a lot of heart. It's that big heart and kind spirit which rises above the flaws and downfalls it has.

Brian Cox is the best part of the film. The relationship depicted with his grandson was really touching. The Scottish cultural elements and use of Gaelic were also highlights. It was one of my main reasons for watching and didn't disappoint. The film would've been better for showcasing even more Scottish scenery and less of life in America.

The majority of the film was set in San Fransisco. In this sense, the film often fell into a Scottish version of Crocodile Dundee. The fish-out-of-water and cultural barriers were played hard and a lot of the comedy relied on this. It began to get old after a while, but thankfully the performances and big heart saved it.

Despite it's dawdling pace, an annoying Thora Birch and some cliches, it's still a fantastic watch. The version I watched was called 'Rory's Way'. Well worth it to see Brian Cox at his best and some Scottish culture.

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.

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.