Italian for Beginners
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Movie Reviews of Italian for Beginners
Movie Review: Good movie to see
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed this movie -- after I got past the camera shots, as noted by other reviewers. Like another person, I almost quit the movie before 30 minutes were up. It seemed slow to start. But, I'm glad I stayed with it because it developed into a nice story. The characters were real and the plot (though slow to develop) was good. I would recommend this movie.Movie Review: Where do I sign up?
Summary: 4 Stars
Where have these wonderful actors been hiding? Cute story of people picking themselves up by their bootstraps, getting on with life and discovering good friends in their Italian class. Makes you want to find a class today!Movie Review: I did not hate it.
Summary: 3 Stars
It gave me a lot to think about actually. I found it somewhat charming but I have difficulty in calling it a "romantic comedy". It seems a little too real to fall within that genre -- perhaps because of the use of the hand-held video camera, the ordinariness of the characters, or the lack of motion and laughter. You are right that the title "Italian for Beginners" is deceptive and the mere fact that they all attend Italian classes appears to be a very loose premise for bringing these people together. However, I wonder whether Italian for Beginners is a metaphor for something like "Romance for Beginners" or "Life for Beginners". Italian is a romance language and the Italian culture is reputed to be less repressive than the Dutch. Each of the characters seems to be very repressed for one reason or another (abusive parents, isolation, shyness) and venturing out into Italian classes is just a small step for them toward connecting with other people. The characters that are the least self-conscious and fearful of intimacy are Giulia (and she actually IS Italian) and Andres -- the only character that has been married. Initially, I thought that Andres was written in an odd fashion. He seems awfully touchy-feely for a pastor who recently lost his wife. Later they explain his wife was mentally ill which accounts for his desire to take care of Olympia. I'm still trying to sort out my impressions of him. It was interesting how they juxtaposed him against the angry pastor that he was replacing. Andres had a choice to either become bitter like his predecessor who was mourning the loss of his wife, or to venture back into the world. He could have easily hidden himself in the church but decided not to.
I also thought that water was an important image throughout the movie -- perhaps a spiritually cleansing, melting of barriers or "diving in". There is water imagery throughout, in the initial flirtation where Karen washes Halfinn's hair (come to think of it, each of the men have their hair washed), Karen's mom turning the hose on her, Andres always in the pool (he's the only one that has "taken the plunge") while giving advise to Jorgen who appears to be doing his best to avoid getting wet, and ultimately, all of the characters find themselves in Venice where there is water everywhere and they get caught in the rain. That's when Jorgen finally confesses his feelings for Giulia and Karen and Halfinn reconcile. Also, hair cutting -- sort of like Samson and Delilah -- Halfinn is reluctant to cut his hair, let go of some of his boyishness, while Giulia chops off her hair to appear older the minute she decides to pursue Jorgen.
Movie Review: Romance ala Dogme;Overlong Plot Saved by Charming Characters
Summary: 3 Stars
In spite of the title, "Italian for Beginners" features few Italian scenes, for it is set in a small town in Denmark, where men and women (all thirty-odd-year-old) fall in love through the language course. The film is the 12th installment of Dogme 95 (its predecessors include "King Is Alive" or "Mifune"), but unlike the usual films coming out of the tradition, "Italian Beginners" is a heart-warming romantic comedy, or at least, it wants to be that.The ensemble characters are all timid or have some trouble with communication (perhaps making a contrast to Italian people). They include; an angry manager of a small diner (who had once a promising career as football player), and his good-natured friend; a hairdresser whose alcoholic mother always stumbles into her shop in the awkward moment; a Catholic priest who is sent to the town for a thankless position; a female working at bakery store who had to change jobs more than 30 times; and a beautiful Italian waitress who fell for one of them.
Even though you like the film's life-affirming attitudes, you must admit that the story itself is nothing but an ordinary melodrama, which in itself is not a big problem. I am not sure this film works as comedy in your country (I didn't find it as amusing as some people say), but it defenitely works as an intensely emotional drama. The film has its strong moments (such as ill-treated daughter(s) confronting their parents), because the capable actors succeeded to infuse a lot of energy to the well-written, but slightly cliched characters.
I didn't give the film four stars because of the followinf two reasons: one, it lacks charms that should have, the kind of charms which the dogmatic stance of Dogme 95 destroyed. Dogme basically forbids to use soundtrack songs, or lighting (except one attached to camera), both of which are (few people notice this) the essential part of the romanctic mood. The actors' fine acting cannot save it totally.
The other defect comes from the film's script. I don't know about Lone Sherfig (writer and director of the film), but it is clear that her roots lie in TV dramas, in which she can let the drama sprawl more freely. The film runs 112 minutes, but with this thin material, the whole film is often repetitive, longer than it should be by 15 minutes.
But all in all "Italian for Beginners" is a good film, by "good" I mean "warm" "engaging" and "charming." But I still do not understand why Ms. Sherfig, with these able cast at hand, decided to use the Dogme format, which does not help the film at all.
Movie Review: Akin to watching the neighbor's home movies
Summary: 3 Stars
ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS is a low budget production that perhaps didn't cost much more than the index cards with the ending credits scribbled on them. It was apparently shot largely with a hand-held camera, and reminded me of a home movie, albeit one of better image quality.In this film, the audience follows the daily lives of six lonely singles. Olympia is a bakery employee with low self-esteem whose parents die within a short time of each other. Hal-Finn is a testy restaurant manager fired for verbally abusing customers. Giulia, an Italian immigrant speaking little Danish who dreams of finding Mr. Wonderful, is a waitress at Hal-Finn's restaurant. Jorgen is a sexually impotent hotel clerk, who's afraid he'll never again be able to have an intimate relationship with a woman. Jorgen confides in Andreas, the temporary pastor at the local church, who's finding it difficult being accepted by the congregation. Finally, Karen the hairdresser loyally visits her hospitalized mother, who soon dies.
During that part of the plot shot in Denmark, we see very little of the outdoors. We don't even know the name of the city or town. Almost all the "action" occurs indoors, and eventually is focused in a community adult education class, ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS, to which all of the characters have gravitated (for reasons beyond me). Very soon, the instructor is physically incapacitated and disappears from the storyline. Already knowing more Italian than the others, Hal-Finn takes over the teaching role. In the meantime, attraction between individuals is germinating.
This film is not without charm, but most of that occurs in the last 20 minutes or so (of the 112 minute run time) when the location switches to Venice, Italy. Otherwise, it's as if you yourself took a video cam, followed some unmarried buds around with it for a couple of weeks, and then sold the tape to a major studio. It's not a bad or unenjoyable picture, but I'm just amazed that it was made for the Big Screen. All of the characters inspire good feelings, even the prickly Hal-Finn. Indeed, Giulia is pretty darn cute. And there's an unexpected twist involving Olympia and Karen that would make anyone's day interesting. ("Honey, guess who's coming for dinner.")