lasttimeisaw
Now I'm thinking of how to rank this film, underrated? or just deserves its lukewarm greeting when first came into theaters in 1999. Director Franco Zeffirelli (Brother Sun, Sister Moon 1972) was at his twilight time when shot this film (he was 76 then), which undeniably means there is scare chance that any director could launch another career apex (late bloomers are not included). Firstly for any film aficionados, the vintage cast consists of Cher, Maggie, Judi, Joan and Lily has an irresistible allure which only indicates that it will not dash my hope of an enchanting 2-hour stretch. The film gets Cher plays herself, divine and vulnerable at the same time, although I don't buy it when she would make such a rash and unexplained mistake in the latter story, maybe Paolo Seganti is too hot to resist (who knows, he is killingly delicious here). My favorite performance here is Dame Maggie Smith, whose acute spinster character is again fun to watch, alongside her old confidante Dame Judi Dench, a more vivacious image as Arabella, the art guardian. Joan Plowright's part is a heartrending one and Lily Tomlin's lesbian fashion could never be better for her. After all, this is a biographic story of Zeffirelli himself and our protagonist is Luca, whose adolescent ceremony co-occurs with WWII, which profoundly affects those expatriate ladies. This is a substantially feel-good film, and I must say I did enjoy the film, Zeffirelli failed to keep the balance to not reveal his conspicuous contrivances of bolstering the emotional momentum, so it leaves me some artificial impulse to discern some biased point-of-view about British chauvinism and American flattery, anyway, nothing to do with Italians, eventually.
moonspinner55
Young boy from a broken home is 'adopted' by a group of elderly British women in pre-WWII Florence, Italy. Director Franco Zeffirelli's rather self-conscious valentine to his own childhood is slushed with poetic sentimentality, most of which feels distinctly artificial. The young lad at the heart of the piece isn't at all memorable, and the ladies unfortunately fare no better (but where else can you find Cher, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Lily Tomlin and Maggie Smith together on-screen?). Some of the more subtle moments (such as the child waiting for someone to pick him up after school) touch on a velvety kind of youthful longing that is rather sweet, but the drippy dialogue and obvious "scene stealing" opportunities for the femme stars drain much of the sincerity from the mix. ** from ****
azgjudy
I found this movie grand. The casting awesome. Cher balanced against the best of England was perfect. It was like watching a fascinating piece of music, like jazz. It all went together beautifully, everyone knew the chords and when to come in. Great harmony and melody also. A delightful story. Hurray to the Independents again. Maybe someday the US film industry will learn, most of us enjoy a good story and a good cast. The violence is in this picture, and it is a threat. It is how it effects these individuals, each in their own way and how they relate that makes the movie. If you have yet to see this film - take a break and enjoy.
Syrchek
Tea with Mussolini is a story about several women from England that live in Florence during the prewar era of the 1930's. At this point the story focuses on a young boy named Luca who is abandoned by his only parent, a careless and inconsiderate father and is now an orphan. He is taken into custody by one of the English women, Ms. Wallace. Later the boy is sent to school in Austria which was provided by a close friend of his deceased mother, a wealthy American, Elsa Morganthal. During that time the general atmosphere is getting more and more intense and insecure. Specifically for these women for whom it is no longer safe to dwell in Italy, for they become so-called 'enemy aliens'. The story is quite diverse and it never becomes too messed up. Most of the characters are represented in a fair amount of time. Despite the unkind environment, the only grumbler here turns out to be one of the English women, Lady Hester Random. The one that had tea with Mussolini. It is funny how the film is titled, because the tea part is the least important event in the movie. What seems important here is how these women will get around their disagreements. The war really isn't that important because nobody actually loses anything that would have great value. No, they actually gain a few things, reunite and widen their friendships. What I like about the film is the smooth narrative style, which isn't the least gushy. Nothing special but it evolves the characters in a surprisingly even tempo.But the movie just isn't centered on something specific. You feel as if there isn't even a central character in the story. First I thought the main character would be Luca or Ms. Wallace. The movie isn't even that strong in describing the wartime atmosphere. The best part of it is the optimistic and kind look on life that these women seem to have. It's not one of the best dramas, nor comedies and certainly not war films, but it's worth a look....... 3/5 ......
AD
