Made in Italy

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Coincidence or not, but the latest movies I've seen are all from debutant directors and/or writers. James D'Arcy, who most people will recognize from the MCU as Edwin Jarvis, leaves the acting to Liam Neeson and his real-life son, Micheál Richardson, and occupies both the director and writer's chairs for the very first time (at least in a feature film). It's also Micheál's acting debut, who chose to share the screen with his father in what became a personal project of theirs. D'Arcy's screenplay connected with both actors in an emotional way (Neeson's wife also died from an accident when Micheál was young, just like in the movie's narrative), and this contributes to the best component of the whole film.

Neeson and Micheál's chemistry is palpable, genuine, and extremely compelling. Every dialogue sequence between the two feels incredibly real and heartfelt, especially one in the third act, in a two-minute uncut take, where both deliver one of the most emotional conversations of this year. Micheál is still rough around the edges, his range needs improvement, but it's a really good debut. On the other hand, Neeson actually surprised me. I've become so used to his repetitive action roles that I forgot how great an actor he truly is. Fantastic performance from an actor who sadly doesn't have an Oscar yet (he still has time to steal a statue in the next few years).

The remaining actors are also quite decent, but the focus goes entirely to the father-son relationship. Robert and Jack are easy characters to connect with. Tons of viewers went through the same experience, handling grief and sadness in the same way as each character. Even Micheál apparently dealt with his real-life mother's death similarly to Jack's, so anyone will be able to witness how real this movie is to the main actors. Unfortunately, this is the only big compliment I can give to the entire flick...

The Italian landscape is gorgeous, the cultural environment is well-established, and the film itself is well-shot. Technically, it's as beautiful as Tuscany allows it to be (which is a lot). However, D'Arcy's screenplay is just a collection of cliches, formulas, stereotypes, and predictable plot points that literally hundreds of other movies in the genre already own. It doesn't bring anything remotely new to the table, much on the contrary. Ten minutes in, there's no doubt of what will happen to each character and how the story will unravel. The short runtime helps, but it's still a tad boring to watch an entire film knowing everything that will occur without the slightest deviation.

Even an unnecessary romance is created, and honestly, it's the worst aspect of all. It just doesn't belong in the story, and it steals screentime that could have been used to further enhance the primary storyline. Characters go through a dull cycle of restoring the house a bit, arguing about stuff that doesn't really impact the narrative, receiving annoying, almost caricatural buyers that don't buy the house, and repeat until the very end. Regarding the father-son relationship, their conversations are too superficial and generic (except for that last scene I already mentioned). There's even a moment where Jack gets drunk without explanation (in one cut he's fine, in the next one he's completely out of himself) and "attacks" his father. Where have I seen this before?!

In the end, Made in Italy has indeed an emotionally compelling father-son story that many viewers will surely connect with, but James D'Arcy's directorial and screenplay debut is not going to be remembered for long. Packed with the usual cliches and generic plot points, nothing about the narrative feels unique or different in any way, much on the contrary. Predictable from the get-go without any sort of deviation, making the short runtime feel like it's a bit too long. However, Liam Neeson and his real-life son, Micheál Richardson, share a genuine bond that only a true father-son relationship can possess. The actors went through the exact same experience as the characters they portray, making their performances incredibly sincere. The beauty of Tuscany and the Italian culture also improve the overall look of the movie, which displays some terrific landscapes. It's a sweet Sunday afternoon's flick to watch with the family, but nothing more.

Rating: C

This movie is fairly predictable and doesn’t seem to have many bursts of originality, but I think it is a pleasant enough watch and accomplishes the modest goals it sets out for itself. It tells the story it wants to tell and allows the main characters to show some growth. I bet some reviewers who panned this movie enjoy action thrillers and can go through an entire month of watching them and not see (or wish they had seen) any character growth by the lead roles.

Made in Italy is sort of like a romantic comedy without the comedy and with the romance in the background. In a rom-com, one of the two lovers has to make a grand gesture or sacrifice at the end. They don’t here, because the romance is a side story. Instead it becomes clear that either father or son will have to make a sacrifice or grand gesture before the credits run.

I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch Made in Italy again, but I wouldn’t want to sit and eat the same meal with the same friends talking about the same topics again either, but I can enjoy it the first time without feeling like I have misused my time. What did I open this review with? Oh yeah, it is a pleasant enough watch. Let yourself enjoy it.

Jack Foster (Micheál Richardson) manages his ex-in-laws' art gallery until his ex-wife Ruth (Yolanda Kettle) informs him that her family is selling the gallery. Desperate for money to buy the gallery himself, Jack convinces his father Robert (Liam Neeson), a bohemian painter, to sell the Tuscan villa they inherited from their mother/wife, whose accidental death when Jack was a young child drove a wedge between father and son.

After traveling from London to Italy, Robert and Jack find the house in a severe state of disrepair. We don't have to wait long for the other shoe to drop; the house and its subsequent renovation is a transparent and unoriginal metaphor for Robert and Jack's relationship.

As soon – and it's very soon – as the above is made clear the film becomes predictable and its conclusion obvious, and we're left with nothing to do except enjoy the bucolic Tuscan landscapes (but a documentary on this Italian region would achieve the same effect).

Another way to pass the time is wondering how Neeson and Richardson, who are father and son in real life, can have so little on-screen chemistry; then again, Richardson has no chemistry with any other character – not with his ex-wife, which actually makes sense, nor with his romantic interest Natalia (Valeria Bilello), which is inexcusable.

We can also entertain ourselves spotting plot holes. 1) The house is in need of a Extreme Home Makeover; painting, carpentry, plumbing, electrical installation, etc., which requires the hiring of stereotypically colorful local workers, but no mention is ever made of where the money for all this – presumably enough to buy the gallery – is coming from.

2) Robert asks Natalia to help decorate the house, but all she ever does in that department is bring her infant daughter to help paint (an excuse to sprinkle saccharin on the plot). And 3) towards the end of the film, Jack very conveniently discovers a seemingly secret room in which Robert has "locked away [Jack's] childhood." Okay, so in all the time they've been repairing the house Jack never thought to go into this room, not even to see if it needed a coat of paint. Uh-huh.

The surname Foster is likely a reference to E.M. Forster, the English novelist and author of A Room with a View, which was adapted into the 1985 film of the same name, starring Helena Bonham Carter, Julian Sands, Denholm Elliott, Maggie Smith and Daniel Day-Lewis, and which remains the best romantic comedy about Brits in the Italian countryside. In Made in Italy it's not just a room but the whole house that has a magnificent view; unfortunately, the view is the best part of the movie.