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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Kiss Me Again (Film)

by Julian Wood | March 07, 2011 12:12 | Edited March 07, 2011 12:13

While some may find the constant shift of moods and narratives wearying, for the most part this is intelligent and emotionally resonant drama.

Gabriele Muccino is an Italian director who has straddled both European and Hollywood films. He has worked with Will Smith twice (The Pursuit Of Happyness, Seven Pounds) and has made thoughtful, genre-stretching tales stateside. Here, he is back in Rome following up on the characters that he first brought together for The Last Kiss (2001). Once again, there are interlocking fates for the various middle class couples under the microscope.

 

We follow five men and women and, as with the first film, the women finding themselves pregnant catalyses the plot. Carlo (Stefano Accorsi) is a businessman worrying himself into an early grave. Giulia (Vittoria Puccini) is his ex, and although they split years ago, Carlo is still obsessed with her. When Adriano (Giorgio Pasotti), a long lost member of the gang, comes back after a spell in prison, all the men look on his life and suddenly start to compare their own. The various female partners have also noticed the change in the offing, and they use this rupture as a chance to tell a few home truths to their men folk. We know that Adriano is an oddball incidentally because he sports a disgusting ponytail. His general dagginess is not the only thing that is offputting to Adele (the wonderful Valeria Bruni Tedeschi in a moving cameo), and she seems determined to not let him back into her life. He, however, is determined to re-connect as they have a son that he hasn't seen for ten years. 

 

The constant see-sawing of moods and occasional histrionics of the characters may be wearying to non-fans. Also, the sense of too-carefully plotted twists seems slightly formulaic, though Muccino's script is ultimately emotional and intelligent. In part, this is Friends without the lightness or jokes. In other parts, it is a moving narration on the trials of young middle aged Italians.