gabrieletaibo

That's it. I got lost in Diane Keaton's face and I went wherever she went. I loved the journey. So familiar and yet so different. Family with all the warmth of ancestral Christmas carols and a glimpse into our very near future, hopefully. She is surrounded by a group of wonderful actors. The fearless Sarah Jessica Parker, the stunning Rachel McAdams, the blooming Clare Danes, the underrated Dermot Mulroney, the surprisingly tender Craig T Nelson etc. To tell you about this family, going back home for the holidays, would be a waste of time. If you decide to go, you'll be part of the gathering, the Stone's have their doors wide open and you'll find your own place at the table. As the movie ended I had a smile from ear to ear while tears were running down my face.

What were they thinking? Stephen Frears? I don't believe it for a minute. He's never made anything this bad. The tone of the film is impossible to grasp. Lack of money, something mentioned. Well that's no excuse. To recreate the London blitz without money is something that amateurs do, not Stephen Frears for goodness sake. Judi Dench alone is a reason to go to a movie, but not this one. Here everything is so clichéd so premeditated is anti-wit it's just unforgivable. Martin Sherman of "Bent" fame wrote the script and that's were most of the problems lay. It's not grand and funny and camp. it's not serious compelling or moving. It's not fast and outrageous and daring. It's just a disappointing crashing old bore. I'm sorry, I really am.

There is long tradition in Italian cinema in which the hero is a thief or a pathetic loser or a criminal or, like in "Romanzo Criminale" all three. Part of the tradition is to humanize the beasts, to give them feelings, to make us feel for them. Here we're giving an endless romance based on the real life Magliana band, a bunch of heartless, violent thugs that dominated the Roman gangland in the 70's. Michele Placido and his script writers concoct a confused and confusing document that is as annoying, tedious and opportunistic as it is long, endless really. There is, however, one big plus in its favor, the actors. They are given a sketchy draw of their perverse characters but they go for it with body and soul. Kim Rossi Stuart's tormented Freddo exudes a cutting pain that makes you think he has a conscience. Claudio Santamaria projects danger without even trying and the "Libanese" is played by an actor totally new to me, Pierfrancesco Favino, that gives the best performance by an Italian Actor in many, many moons. Riccardo Scamarcio has a face to launch a thousand ships but unfortunately no character and Stefano Accorsi is totally unbelievable in a character that is nothing short of absurd. Explosions, production values, American style editing, but very slow pacing, a brilliant dirty photography by the great Luca Bigazzi. What a pity that with all of this talent available the end result is so mediocre.