 Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO– Not much happens in “Mid-August Lunch.” It’s as uneventful and often benign as the title suggests, though that’s not to say it’s dull. Some films are primarily about plot, while others are about behavior, and this quietly observant international crowd-pleaser certainly fits in the latter category.
It marks the directorial debut of Italian filmmaker Gianni Di Gregorio, who co-wrote Matteo Garrone’s brilliant crime saga “Gomorrah” (Garrone is credited as the producer of “Lunch”). What made “Gomorrah” so powerful, apart from its riveting series of intersecting story lines, was its refusal to romanticize the material. There was no escapist thrill found in watching ordinary Italians whose lives are controlled, and in some cases destroyed, by the mob organization known as the Camorra. The film’s uncompromising level of realism was a crucial element of its success. In contrast, “Lunch” is a welcome diversion, though it’s no less authentic.
 Read Matt Fagerholm’s full review of “Mid-August Lunch” in our reviews section. |
Di Gregorio casts himself in a role that will seem familiar to any viewer fortunate enough to have seen Delbert Mann’s 1955 classic “Marty.” Yet unlike Ernest Borgnine’s lonesome butcher, Di Gregorio’s character appears to be rather content in his routine, predictable life. He’s an aging bachelor who’s broke, unemployed and still living with his seemingly ancient mother (the charming Valeria De Franciscis, who occasionally resembles Abe Vigoda in a blonde wig). The film opens with Gianni reading his mother a bedtime story that she insists on interrupting. She asks him to describe a particular male character, while harboring the unspoken desire that it will inspire a lustful fantasy. But she recoils when she finds out that he’s “beak-nosed.” This gentle, fitfully amusing sequence sets the tone for the entire picture, which glides along at a brisk 75 minutes.
With his debts steadily stacking up, Gianni awaits the inevitable visit of his apartment manager. Surprisingly, manager Alfonso promises to forgive Gianni of his expenses, as long as he agrees to take care of his own moody mother, Marina (Marina Cacciotti), during the August holiday of Ferragosto. But Alfonso isn’t Gianni’s only acquaintance planning to engage in some mother-less partying for the two-day break. The dutiful Gianni soon finds himself playing innkeeper to a houseful of old biddies, including his Aunt Maria (Maria Cali), who also happens to be an anal retentive chef, and his doctor’s mother Grazia (Grazia Cesarini Sforza), whose insatiable appetite is in direct conflict with her strict diet. These ladies are feisty, snippy, hungry, and in one case, horny.
Continuing reading for Matt Fagerholm’s full “Mid-August Lunch” review.
Mid-August Lunch
Photo credit: Zeitgeist Films
