Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

jeanlouisreginald Not a bad film. The other written reviews overrate it. One must surmise, due to the grammar, written by born-and-raised Italians and italo-Americans clinging to an identity, laying claim to what they view as their own Hollywood.The themes treated are, fairness, dignity, maschilismo, call to responsibility, redemption and finally feminism.The film presents you with a subject matter that has no age, treats it lightly, but doesn't trivialize or judge and has memorable one liners. No big innaccuracies. The movie itself has aged but not badly and it's appreciation relies on recognizing the filmmaking style and conventions of the era (and it's limits) and appreciating it as a Loren, Mastroiani De Sica film. (and probably the fact that it's Italian).The film doesn't show, only alludes to the squalor of prostitution and the Don using Filumena as a sex object. But rather concentrates on the offenses to her dignity and unrequited, unconditional love. Which in truth must be brought into question when she does the big reveal.The two characters, Don Domenico and Filumena are defined by how they view their relationship; resulting in one-dimensional characterization. Filumena is virtuous, hard-working, and justice seeking and The Don is a hedonist opportunist sexist playboy. That's it. The film doesn't delve into their past at all to show us how they came to be who they are and they have no familial relationships or considerations (except Don's prop-like mom) to influence their decisions. The audience can't get any insight into any of their reasoning besides what they would say to each other. Given the nature of their relationship (ego vs. ego) they shan't be direct so when they are, it feel like an unnatural exchange.The filmmakers have to move the plot and make the audience understand the two characters' mindset in limited exchanges mostly between themselves and the script and dialogue were not quite up to this task. The ending, a moralistic triumph for feminism, is unrealistic given the suppositions and there were no hints of, nor internal reason for the final turn of heart of The Don, and too many questions about Filomena's past unanswered. (Did she choose prostitution or forced into it? did she stop when The Don started maintaining her? When?).The acting is ok. I didn't see this 'amazing' chemistry. They were just acting. There was nothing; mannerisms, spontaneity, or glances, that hinted at any familiarity between the two actors even if they were friends off set.A far superior Italian comedic film is 'I Soliti Ignoti' although it doesn't have any drama but it does have a love subplot that is treated with genial comedy and naturally evolving and kinetic affair without the dreaded forced happy ending.This is the best review on this film since I have no emotional, or hereditary connection to the material, geographical area or the artists. It differs a lot form the majority of user reviews, so I may watch it again to modify or add to it If I missed something.

JoeKulik Vittorio De Sica's Marriage Italian Style (1964) is really a great film. It's one of the very best, in my opinion.It is too simplistic just to mindlessly pigeonhole this fine film as a "comedy", or even as a "romantic comedy". This film, although it does seem to begin as a comedy, smoothly transitions into a compelling drama. Overall, this film transcends simple taxonomic categories because, in many ways, it successfully portrays the subtle manifold complexities of life, which defies simple categorization itself.This film has no "deep meaning", or abstract symbolisms. It is just a a fine example of compelling cinematic storytelling. And what a story it tells. It is a story of a beautiful young woman from an impoverished background who finds herself selling her own body just for economic survival. It is the story of a prostitute who actually falls in love with one of her wealthy clients, a client who superficially seems to be in love with her too, but who really can never consider her more than a human "object", bought and paid for, a human "object" who is not socially suitable for marriage because of her background. It is a story of two people finally marrying, being able to transcend the difference of social status and social ranking that has long separated them. It is a story of a mother who never abandoned her children, although circumstances conspired to keep her physically and socially distant from them for many years. It is a story of three brothers who grew up never knowing each other, finally uniting with each other, and the mother that they never knew. In short, the story told in this film is not a simple one, indeed. It is a panoramic portrayal of human life of epic proportions. This is a very detailed, and nuanced portrayal too, exposing the passions, the spirit, the foibles, the sincerities, the vanities, and the glories of human existence. Yet, for all of that, this fine filmmaker, was able, at the same time, to simply tell a very interesting and very entertaining story too.There are those today who might complain that this film is not "politically correct" because it portrays a woman who spends her life enduring the sexual exploitation, and the social domination of an indifferent and powerful man. Although this may be true, it is for this very reason that I feel that this is an important film to view even decades after it's release. That is because it is, in some ways, an historical record of the social norms, and the social attitudes of Italian society circa the 1960's, and to a certain extent accurately portrays the norms and attitudes about gender relations prevalent throughout Western Culture at that time. It is also an important film to view today because in the nuanced and extended transitional interaction between the main characters, we can see much of the man-woman relationship that is still prevalent, and still relevant today. For instance, this film believably portrays a twenty two year relationship between a couple that spans the spectrum from a prostitute-client relationship, to a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, to a live in mistress/business associate-employer relationship, to a wife-husband relationship. Yet, the director succeeds to deliberately, and effectively "blur" the boundaries between the various stages of this long, and extended man-woman relationship. In short, the answer to the question: "When did the woman in this relationship stop being a prostitute?" is not easy to discern. More important is the question: "Did this woman ever effectively stop being this man's prostitute, even after he finally married her?" Given the social and sexual attitudes of the man in this relationship, it is justifiable to argue that this man will always, at some level, consider this woman to be his "whore", even after legitimizing their relationship through the social artifice of marriage. This whole issue brings to light an element of gender relations that is still very relevant today, that, in one way or another, a woman is coerced by society to "sell" her sexuality every day, and even in marriage just to achieve her personal goals in life.The performances by Mastroianni and Loren in this film were superb, and were enhanced by the palpable chemistry that obviously exists between them. These fine actors both gave nuanced and subtle performances that brought the complex storyline of this film to life in a way that most other actors just are not capable of doing.Overall, this film really boggles my mind when I try to reconcile how such a deep and expansive portrayal of human life can be, at the same time, just so entertaining, and just so much fun to watch. In that respect, De Sica's production here is very Shakespearean, indeed.20 Stars !!!

lasttimeisaw The film employs a tremendously perky rhythm and register to showcase the traits of the earthly Italy at its post-war development, even though essentially the overwrought kernel of a prostitute's tribulations could hardly appropriate as a comedy material. Vittorio De Sica's camera enigmatically haunts and pivots around two leads' present and past, the intangible love/hate chaos is disarmingly intriguing and subconsciously imbues the audience with a fervent compassion towards Sophia Loren's unswerving while passionate Filumena. The leading performance is worth of much accolade, especially for Sophia Loren, whose full-brown force of personality spanning over 20 years in the film and indisputably devotes a magnificent performance with all her zest and vigor. Marcello Mastroianni, is great as well, to hone up his versatility and render the womanizer an ambiguous moral criterion which is a more delicate task. I cannot help being fascinated by the exquisite script as well, credited by five names, no wonder all the twists and turns are so fruitful in a way that both surprising and amusing. Nominated for 2 Oscars (BEST FOREIGN FILM and a second BEST ACTRESS nomination for Loren) and is a milestone which not only represents Loren's heyday but also is a comforting fruition of Loren-Conti correlation. Maybe it is not director De Sica's best canon due to its slight superficiality of machismo, which I sense may not be the director's fault as it is a general bias lies in all over the globe. Anyway, the film itself surely is a fine piece captures a genuine Italian aura (the Naples' style) and definitely worth your pocket.

Galina "Marriage Italian Style" is director Vittorio De Sica's fourth collaboration with the actress Sophia Loren. Loren's sensual exiting beauty, fine comic timing, combined with a brilliant script and the rare chemistry with the co-star Marcello Mastroianni makes the film an excellent combination of a sparkling and amusing farce and a poignant drama of one woman's life and struggles in the post-war Italy. As Domenico Soriano, a wealthy, arrogant and selfish Neapolitan businessman, Mastroianni is on the verge of marrying a younger woman when he hears that his long time mistress, ex-prostitute Filomena, is on her deathbed. He rushes to her side and agrees to marry Filomena in hopes to soon become a widower but when she recovers "miraculously" he recognizes that her illness was only a trick. Then, in her flashbacks, we learn that she did it for the sake of her three children of whom Domenico knew nothing about and one of them (or maybe all) could be his... Mastroianni and Loren had perhaps the best on-screen chemistry ever; it is delight to see them together in this film as well as in "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" and "The Sunflowers" - little known but wonderful Soviet - Italian film, both by Vittorio De Sica. I also liked them together in Altman's "Prêt-à-Porter" (1994) aka "Ready to Wear". One scene in Marriage Italian Style should be on the list of the best ever filmed - young Filomena walks down a sidewalk in Naples to meet with Dominico and every man, regardless of his age stares at her with desire. I am a woman but I could not take my eyes off her - Cleopatra or Nefertity could've walked like that. My verdict - they don't make comedies like that anymore. 9.5/10