This funny little gem from Italy features wonderful acting and directing by Gianni Di Gregorio.  The fast-paced storyline of Mid August Lunch plays out over two humorous days Italian style, with delightful characters acted by a superb support cast.  Whether you are into foreign comedy, or just want to sit back and escape to another culture, this film makes a scrumptious ‘meal'.

The movie follows the sly Gianni (Di Gregorio) on a day at the marketplace, where he finds himself fending off the payment of his bills and rent.  Not in any mood for staying long and chatting with friends and storeowners, he heads back to his apartment where he lives with his 93 year-old mother.  As a caregiver and companion, Gianni is the sweetest guy on earth, but when it comes to finances, he’s a loser. 

That afternoon he gets a visit from Luigi, his building manager, who makes him an offer: if he will watch his mother while he goes off for a special Italian holiday, he’ll forgive his rental debts.  He agrees, but when Luigi returns, he not only has his satirical mother, but his aunt as well. It’s a little tight since there’s little food to go around and the apartment’s small.  When Gianni’s doctor shows up asking for a similar favor, things start getting out of hand.

I liked the way Di Gregorio paced his film so you could get just enough of the characters' personality and problems.  The tight fit of the apartment plays an important role also, bringing the characters closer together so you can get all the hilarious interaction.  Italian comments, phrases and innuendo abound in the delicious script that tickled me, but admittedly partially due to my common heritage.

The film is unrated with a few sexual insinuations and language.  Mid August Lunch is played in Italian with English subtitles, but most of the gestures give you the idea anyway.

FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good foreign film with a lot of flavor.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites

Comments

Add New

Write comment
Name:
Email:
Title:

Powered by !JoomlaComment 4.0alpha3

!joomlacomment 4.0 Copyright (C) 2009 Compojoom.com . All rights reserved."