My Name Is Tanino

There are two power points with this film:

Rachel McAdams debuts as the ultimate eye magnet, with some sweet acting.

Tanino is so very Sicilian in contrast to the WASP American family that the premise is very much alive in every single scene. He being himself suffices to underline the plot time and again.

Other than these two, well, the story is highly modest and appeals mostly to people who are into Italian culture. There's nothing to whip your imagination or elevate you in ways you don't expect. Professionally made with a very economical approach both to the story and the production, that's an alright film.

At a first see, My name is Tanino is a funny, well-directed and well-acted comedy (things that are not at all a given in the recent, mediocre Italian cinematography). But it's also a (extremely light) description of the not always easy relationship between Europe (and, in particular, Italy) and US; I mean the ambivalent view of admiration and suspicion toward each other. And if, to an American viewer, the depiction of the typical WASP family and of the typical italo-American family may be a bit stereotyped, the character of Tanino is quite different from Italians you see in movie and TV-show from the States (like the infamous Paolo from Friends...). My name is Tanino could also be a drive to the foreigner to discover other Virzì's movies, like Ovosodo... I don't know if it was ever subtitled, though.

I am known for hating foreign films, never wanting to give them a chance. But when I visited Italy this summer with my mother and sister, I figured I had to watch a movie there just to say I did. And I am so happy I did! It was the best movie ever! Even though I don't speak Italian, I do speak Spanish so I understood the whole movie pretty much (there were no subtitles). I recommend this movie to EVERYONE!!!!

Best Comedy That I've Seen This Year!!! This is a story a little Italian, a little American, dedicated to the dreams of young people. The cast and crew did a wonderful job.

You could say this film is about a young Italian in America constantly running away from difficult situations,or you could say it is about youth and growing up by confronting ideals with reality. But it also shows different lifestyles, (the average well to do American family, the Italian large family, the impoverished artist). The performances are good quality, helped by an on the spot casting for example corrado fortuna's (he plays the main character) expressions are quite hilarious or even just his out of place presence create a comic outcome. Of course it is even funnier if you are or have been in contact with Italian culture (and i mean not just from films and TV!), especially from the south, otherwise Castelluzzo,the town from where the main character comes from, might remind you of any little village where everyone knows everyone and everything about everyone. There isn't specifically a plot but you could describe it as the comic adventures of a young Italian in America but that might make it sound like a kids book.

Alltoghether it is a memorable simple little film that you will probably enjoy.