Due to the fact that this film literally is a sequel to the highly praised L'ultimo bacio (2001) and considering that director Gabriele Muccino has directed THE PURSUIT OF Happiness (2006) and SEVEN POUNDS (2008) in Hollywood, it is unforgivably disappointing to see this film fails completely at all levels.
It's a hotchpotch of middle-age crises, but with nothing original, winning back the ex-wife, sleeping with your best friends' wife or your wife having an affair with a womanizer, finally exacerbated with an overdue suicide. Thanks to the ham performances from the entire cast (except Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, the sole clear stream), it successfully caused a deathly repulsive reaction (The common sense is that why on earth should we waste our time to a film is full of platitude). Sometimes it even produced some sort of unrealistic vibes of jocularity floating over the dramatic backdrops, which unfortunately appeared at all the wrong times. Also the script is poorly written by Muccino himself, if you expect any brilliant remarks from any characters in the film, you will be disappointed undoubtedly.
It's unusual for us to be able to watch an Italian film in the cinema, however, which does bother me is that this film actually was the biggest winner of the 13th Shanghai International Film Festival last year (won BEST FILM, BEST ACTRESS for Vittoria Puccini and BEST SCREENPLAY, 3 awards), on some level it also reflects the real standard of the festival itself. One deadly side effect is that it has irreversibly diminished my interest in the films in the competition section of SIFF.
It's a hotchpotch of middle-age crises, but with nothing original, winning back the ex-wife, sleeping with your best friends' wife or your wife having an affair with a womanizer, finally exacerbated with an overdue suicide. Thanks to the ham performances from the entire cast (except Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, the sole clear stream), it successfully caused a deathly repulsive reaction (The common sense is that why on earth should we waste our time to a film is full of platitude). Sometimes it even produced some sort of unrealistic vibes of jocularity floating over the dramatic backdrops, which unfortunately appeared at all the wrong times. Also the script is poorly written by Muccino himself, if you expect any brilliant remarks from any characters in the film, you will be disappointed undoubtedly.
It's unusual for us to be able to watch an Italian film in the cinema, however, which does bother me is that this film actually was the biggest winner of the 13th Shanghai International Film Festival last year (won BEST FILM, BEST ACTRESS for Vittoria Puccini and BEST SCREENPLAY, 3 awards), on some level it also reflects the real standard of the festival itself. One deadly side effect is that it has irreversibly diminished my interest in the films in the competition section of SIFF.