Director: Paolo Sorrentino. Cast: Filippo Scotti, Toni Servillo, Teresa Saponangelo. 130 min. Drama.
- I see Sorrentino's newest and most personal beautiful meditation on life itself (after The Great Beauty and Youth) as the Italian version of Licorice Pizza, a coming-of-age comedy with few dramatic moments - this one happening in the 80's Naples, Italy. The Walkman, videotapes (namely of Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America), and of course, Maradona and his famous 1986 World Cup "hand of God" goal, which is both the movie's namesake and the savior of one movie character's life. There are moments where the lovable characters can't keep from laughing at what's happening around them (such as when they see an old Prince Charming using an electrolarynx to speak), considered politically-incorrect by today's standards but nicely reminding us of how we used to behave not too long ago.
- And since it's from Italy, the Fellini references are quite obvious: from the opening traffic jam scene reminiscent of 8 1/2, to the voluptuous women, to a bold mid-movie scene between the young protagonist and an old baroness right out of Amarcord - which this movie will probably be remembered for. Auditions for Fellini movies are taking place in the story, while Sorrentino accompanies and updates these movie references with his own interesting characters, dazzling panoramic views of Naples, and trance-like vision on life. Toni Servillo as the father repeats his all-knowing, cynical but laughing-at-life's-hardships persona from The Great Beauty, but the central character is the modern day version of many youngsters throughout Italian cinema. Not necessarily much to discuss - just a vignette to watch and enjoy.
MoGo's rating: 8/10
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