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Movie Review: Made in Italy

Mike Tyrkus

To call Made in Italy a comedy (as it has been billed) is misleading as it is essentially a story of loss and the coming to terms with and ultimately overcoming that loss. Yet, while there are some lighthearted elements to the film, the dramatic core of the film is what gives it the heft and resonance that makes it an above average tale of a father and son reconnecting through the oddest of circumstances.

Jack (Michael Richardson) is the estranged son of once prolific and renowned artist Robert (Liam Neeson). But, when Jack finds himself in need of funds to purchase the art gallery that he currently runs he must reconnect with his father to repair and sell the family’s Italian villa which is now only an echo of its former glory following the death of Robert’s wife and Jack’s mother. Ultimately though, the house – and their relationship – needs more than just hard work to come back to life.

Tucked within this tale of a father and son reconnecting is an examination of the acceptance of grief and the assignment of guilt. That tendency to straddle many emotional through lines can lead to a muddied interpretation of this film. But, Made in Italy is essentially a story of stunted emotions brought about by unbearable loss. Neither Jack nor Robert are able to process the loss of someone they loved or how exactly to move on from it or to protect each other from the trauma it has caused, thereby making them distant echoes of their former selves. In essence, they are almost strangers to one another. It is only through the journey they undergo that they are able to gain a better understanding of each other and begin to repair their relationship.

Liam Neeson and Micheál Richardson in “Made in Italy.”

Of course, this all teeters on a very thin line just a sliver away from being complete emotional drivel. But, when an actor with a presence as stoic and serious as Neeson is so successful at expressing the pain of loss and failure that the character is beset with, it comes across as earnest and heartfelt. There is real emotionality in his performance here and that allows for an honest connection between the fictional father and son in this film that gives the narrative whatever dramatic heft it has.

Actor James D’Arcy makes his directorial (and writing) debut with Made in Italy, and it is a promising first effort that definitely shows a gift for eliciting fine performances from actors, but there are also some wonderful shots of vistas and visual nuances tucked within the film (such as the nighttime screening of a film in the town square that, although it drives home the point a bit too hard, does not seem too out of place or wanton to be completely inappropriate).

Although billed as a comedy, Made in Italy is far more identifiable as a drama than anything else and should probably be gone into with that in mind. At the center of this story of loss is an effective portrayal of a father and son repairing a fractured relationship that both men are surprised to learn exactly what caused the break in the first place.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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