-By Natasha Senjanovic
For movie details, please click here.
Mid-August Lunch by Gianni Di Gregorio—a former AD of Matteo
Garrone's and co-screenwriter of
Gomorrah, among others films—is a gem whose intelligent,
gentle, deadpan humor is entirely irresistible. Despite a low
budget, simple production values and a set of characters plucked
straight from the streets of Rome, this is a film that the broadest
of audiences can enjoy.
Using a style similar to that of Garrone—handheld camerawork,
nonprofessional actors, hyper-naturalistic performances—Di Gregorio
tells the semi-autobiographical story of Gianni, a middle-aged man
who lives with his aged, widowed mother (Valeria De Franciscis).
Through a humorous turn of events, Gianni (played to perfection by
the director) is forced to take care not only of his strong-willed
mother during an August holiday, but three other equally fussy
elderly women as well.
Perhaps not since the original
Ladykillers has there been a
movie with such stupendous little old ladies. And it is refreshing
to see older characters written with so much warmth and respect,
their loneliness never once ridiculed or undermined. De Franciscis,
Marina Cacciotti, Maria Cali and Grazia Cesarni Sforza have a comic
timing so perfect, it is hard to believe none of them has acted
before. After auditioning professional actresses, Di Gregorio
wisely opted instead for the above four on the strength of their
personalities alone.
Di Gregorio also gently mocks the stereotypical figure of the
Italian "
mammone," a man who never gets out from the under
the skirts of an overbearing mother. With a drink in hand at all
times, Gianni patiently tends to the groceries, cooking and
dispensing of medicine in a delightfully amusing battle of wills
that he is doomed to lose from the onset.
Mid-August Lunch wonderfully captures Rome's languid summer
days without resorting to postcard images of the city—even the
fishermen on the Tiber make an appearance. The soundtrack's blend
of organ music and jazz adds further brio to a story that leaves
you chuckling long after it ends.
-
The Hollywood Reporter
Film Review: Mid-August Lunch
Charming and gently hilarious film features an extraordinary cast of elderly characters.
March 11, 2010
-By Natasha Senjanovic
For movie details, please click here.
Mid-August Lunch by Gianni Di Gregorio—a former AD of Matteo Garrone's and co-screenwriter of
Gomorrah, among others films—is a gem whose intelligent, gentle, deadpan humor is entirely irresistible. Despite a low budget, simple production values and a set of characters plucked straight from the streets of Rome, this is a film that the broadest of audiences can enjoy.
Using a style similar to that of Garrone—handheld camerawork, nonprofessional actors, hyper-naturalistic performances—Di Gregorio tells the semi-autobiographical story of Gianni, a middle-aged man who lives with his aged, widowed mother (Valeria De Franciscis). Through a humorous turn of events, Gianni (played to perfection by the director) is forced to take care not only of his strong-willed mother during an August holiday, but three other equally fussy elderly women as well.
Perhaps not since the original
Ladykillers has there been a movie with such stupendous little old ladies. And it is refreshing to see older characters written with so much warmth and respect, their loneliness never once ridiculed or undermined. De Franciscis, Marina Cacciotti, Maria Cali and Grazia Cesarni Sforza have a comic timing so perfect, it is hard to believe none of them has acted before. After auditioning professional actresses, Di Gregorio wisely opted instead for the above four on the strength of their personalities alone.
Di Gregorio also gently mocks the stereotypical figure of the Italian "
mammone," a man who never gets out from the under the skirts of an overbearing mother. With a drink in hand at all times, Gianni patiently tends to the groceries, cooking and dispensing of medicine in a delightfully amusing battle of wills that he is doomed to lose from the onset.
Mid-August Lunch wonderfully captures Rome's languid summer days without resorting to postcard images of the city—even the fishermen on the Tiber make an appearance. The soundtrack's blend of organ music and jazz adds further brio to a story that leaves you chuckling long after it ends.
-
The Hollywood Reporter
