blaberma
Not Billy Wilders best but at times funny and an absolutely beautiful movie to look at.Hard to choose which is more beautiful,the Italian Riviera or Juliet Mills in the altogether.This was the Nanny and the Professor that everyone of us who was in love with Juliet Mills wanted to see.The hardest part of the movie to believe is that it takes Jack Lemmon so long to fall in love with her.If you see this movie is on one of your cable channels it is a definite must see for the laughs,the scenery and the loveliness of Italy and Juliet Mills Alpine curves and exquisite English beauty.Edward Andrews and Clive Revill both have a field day with their character roles and were never better.
gavin6942
A successful businessman (Jack Lemmon) goes to Italy to arrange for the return of his tycoon-father's body only to discover dad died with his mistress of long standing.Whether this film is good or not depends on how you look at it. If you want a film that is not predictable, you will hate this film, because it follows all the classic formulas from scene one to the closing credits.But we do have the Wilder touch, and Jack Lemmon is always a joy to watch. He won a Golden Globe for this role. Is it his best movie? No. He probably won because of his nude scenes.Some of the characters (notably the coroner) are amusing and really make the film worthwhile, but it is not the best film from either Lemmon or Wilder and thus while I liked it would not strongly endorse it.
indy-39
Saw this when it was released and thought it was "okay"- had a little problem with the story's European morality- but I was only a teenager at the time. Over the years I've caught the film on a couple of occasions (not always seeing all of it, after all it is a long film) and I would normally say the film had grown on me...but I have the feeling it's me that has done the growing. A real pleasure- from the performances to the locations- I find it now oddly affecting. Wilder's last best shot is an absolute must for anyone who has had to sit through Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. At his best Wilder is as good as anyone at film-making and, though Avanti is just shy of his best, it's a far sight ahead of what we call film today.
f s
If you have ever been to Italy, you will love the jokes in this movie that comically describe Italian ways (bureaucracy, long lunch hour, dramatic love behavior), but also admire them (love to good food, music etc.) You will also love the beauty of the setting: gorgeous Italian places, the sea, fishing boats, lively streets and amusing characters. This movie depicts what a good life consists of and it does it in a comic way, so you feel great while watching this movie, even tough there is death, and mourning and trips to the morgue. All these can be beautiful and romantic including the dying itself ("if happened during a high season"). It is also stimulating to see how "perfectly toned body syndrome" was not present in 1972, and the main characters display without guilt their bodies which they love just the way they are.
AD
