Il testimone dello sposo

The Italian film, the Best Man, is very well acted and believable about the Bride who falls in love with her husband's brother who is older and an American success. I found the movie to be well-paced and well-acted and believable. I enjoyed this film very much and do recommend it as a change from other films. Maybe it's because I have been fascinated by the beauty of Italy and the Italian language all of a sudden. I love Italian movies including this one. It shows another time in Italian life where family and tradition was still important including having a large family. That's all changed in contemporary Italy, people still get married and maybe live together without raising an eyebrow. They have smaller families maybe just one child much less two or more as it has even in New Jersey. Families are smaller and everybody is so involved in themselves. It doesn't help that the long working days in the rural fields have been replaced by a cubicle and an office. But that's what I miss about the old world of Italy, it's charm and eternalness.

the two negative comments widely miss the mark on this movie , and show why Italian cinema is so much more appealing , often , that ideologically-drenched politically-correct dumbed down American movies often enough these days.

first , the film showed a certain epoque as it was , and as such no reason to portray a character confirming with today's poliical correctness. as far as the dialogue which revealed both subtle individual and societal personalties and trends , they were much deeper than the previous poster recognized. second, the wishes for the turn of the century are reflected in literature and newspapers of the period, my grandparents often commented on this - and the tragedies of the 20th century were quite at odds with what Europeans in the West thought progress would bring.

Last, the final scene in the movie by itself is worth the whole film, romantic and touching . definitely Ines Sastre's finest moment in her career in my opinion. Having lived in the "old" Italy of the 1960's much in this film hit a chord. A wonderful movie, and thank god no American political correctness !

On new year's eve 1899 a young woman is betrothed to marry a man she doesn't want to. The best man arrives on the scene an she falls instantly in love.

The art direction and costumes are beautiful in this period drama, but many of the tongue-in-cheek references are a bit jarring. For no reason characters say things like, "I wonder if we'll go to the moon in the next century" and "the 1900s will know no war.

As far as portrayal of women. It starts out as a woman trying to take control of her life and ends up depicting her as an obsessive, submissive nut who is convinced she married the best man at her wedding rather than the groom.

The setting is in a small Italian town on the last day of the 19th century. This is the wedding day for a beautiful 22 year old maid who dreams of love even on the day she is to wed by an arranged marriage for which she is repelled. There is an American who is to be the best man who grew up in this small town but has become wealthy in America. She falls in love with him on first sight. The acting couldn't be better and there is exquisite details to the wedding and New Year preparations. Sensitive and beautifully photographed, this shouldn't be missed by anyone who has a romantic bone in their body.

This film has so much going for it--exquisite art direction, beautiful costumes, wonderful cinematography, and a loving and meticulous attention to detail in depicting a turn of the century (1900) wedding in a small Italian town--that I would rate it higher but for the somewhat implausible screenplay.

Without giving plot details away, suffice it to say that the film begins with an interesting premise as it explores the betrothal rituals of this particular time and place that reduced women to objects essentially bartered away to the highest bidder. The heroine of the story, played by the absolutely exquisite Ines Sastre, rebels on her arranged-marriage wedding day, and the plot continues from there.

Diego Abatantuono, no slouch himself in the looks department, plays a long absent stranger who, having made his fortune in America, returns to the town and ends up participating in the ceremony. Things get more complicated from there.

Both actors are outstanding in their roles, but in the end a willing suspension of disbelief is needed to accept the film's conclusion. However, the visuals are so stunning, the period detail is so layered, and the principal actors (as well as the those who play the townspeople, all given their moments) are so fascinating to watch that almost all is forgiven.