Story: A bohemian artist travels from London to Italy with his estranged son to sell the house he inherited from his late wife.
I'll admit what got me interested in seeing this movie was an article I read saying how similar this story is to Liam Neeson's real-life tragedy involving his late wife Natasha Richardson (The Parent Trap). Back in 2009, Natasha Richardson died in a terrible skiing accident (read more here: https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Movies/story?id=7119825&page=1).
Made In Italy is a fairly simple movie; effective and entertaining. There's no plot twists or overcomplicated stories. This is the story of a father and his son mending their broken relationship. Filmed in exotic Italian locations that make this worth the price of admission.
Saved by committed performances from actors Liam Neeson (The Haunting) & his real-life son Micheál Richardson (Cold Pursuit). Mostly Micheál's journey through these beautiful landscapes where he has to find himself, connect with his father, and rebuild a house in pieces. He has enough talent, charm, and charisma to carry this movie and keep us engaged, like his father. Both Liam and he have enough obvious chemistry and watching their relationship evolve was really emotional, even if sometimes tends to get melodramatic.
The supporting cast is just as exquisite, even if they're stock characters. With Valeria Bilello (Sense8) playing a local & possible love interest and Lindsay Duncan (Gifted) as a sarcastic realtor. I do admit they both could've used more time in the oven.
This is a story about grief, loss, broken bonds, and second chances. The vibe is kept fairly light-hearted and even though I would've loved to see this side of loss deeply explored (like Rabbit Hole), this is a well-told entertaining tale. The pacing is fast and doesn't hurt that the running time is kept under an hour and a half. Still, this is one of those rare times where I wished to see more of this story. Far from perfect and predictable, this is an emotional and entertaining ride made even better by good performances by the whole cast, a moody soundtrack, and gorgeous scenery.
P.S. Now I need to visit Tuscany.
Watch the trailer:
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