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The Vow

A saccharine and paint-by-numbers slice of romance, which is largely boosted by the appeal of its two leads.

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (3D)

The under-utilised 3D adds little to this prequel, which only serves as a sore reminder of the brilliance of the original films.

Any Questions For Ben?

The talented bunch of actors ably cut through the surface gloss, but it’s tough to remain invested in the plight of the self-absorbed lead.

Shame

It starts off as brutal but arresting stuff, and the two lead performances are scorching, but disappointingly dissolves into a case of tragedy for the sake of tragedy.

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Mid August Lunch (Film)

by Rhiannon Sawyer | January 11, 2010 15:59 | Edited January 12, 2010 16:12

An engaging film boasting charming performances, nuanced writing and subtle humour.

This sweet comedy set in Rome in the middle of one of Italy's biggest holidays of the year proves that the European sensibility is in stark contrast to that of Hollywood when it comes to comedy. If this were an American film, the characters would have been bigger, the laughs forced, and the comedy would arise from people falling over rather than making subtle comments like, "I would rather die than eat only vegetables", which is made by a lactose intolerant octogenarian while she serves herself mozzarella laden pasta.

 

Giovanni (writer, director and star Gianni Di Gregorio, who also wrote the screenplay for Gomorrah) is a middle aged bachelor living at home with his ageing mother. After finding himself in considerable debt, he agrees to look after his landlord's mother during the summer public holidays in return for having his debts wiped clean. Over the course of the day, he somehow becomes the unwilling servant to four ageing ladies, with each intent on having their own way.

 

Stereotypes of the Italian "mother's boy" and the martyr-style reactions of Italian mammas resound, but all the actors deliver highly nuanced performances which highlight the often dependent relationship between Italian mothers and their sons. This is no mean feat either, with each of the ladies appearing in their first film here, perhaps suggesting that their performances can't be too far from their off screen personalities. Di Gregorio's portrayal of his character's quietly resigned acceptance of his fate to spend the holidays with these reminiscing elderly ladies is comic gold.