THE GREAT BEAUTY – The Review

Enough with this “polar vortex”!  After the brutal arctic pounding at the start of 2014 you may very well be in need of a change of venue. If you can’t afford to fly, then indulge in a cinematic tour of Italy, Rome to be exact, courtesy of director Paolo Sorrentino’s love letter to the land of fashion and pasta, THE GREAT BEAUTY. It’s a visual rush of cobblestone streets, drifting canals, and breath-taking art and architecture. As the film opens, we’re watching the sunny cityscapes yawning to life as Japanese tourists are guided through the streets and a ladies’ choir sings heavenly tunes from a tall tower. And then we’re plunged into the partying nightlife. It seems the town is electrified when the sun sets. Dozens of colorfully coiffed and garbed locals of all ages gyrate with no inhibitions to the pulsing music beat. Finally we discover the reason for the celebration: it’s the sixty-fifth birthday of celebrated literary journalist/interviewer Jeb Gambardella (Toni Servillo). He makes his way through the throngs, oogling the ladies, and leading an almost never-ending dance train line. As the sun rises once more we learn that Jeb had written one highly acclaimed novel many years ago, but never got the inspiration for another so he dallies for a high-class magazines submitting articles about conceptual artists. When the typing is done he’s off to more parties, dinners, and high society conquests. But during the quiet times Jeb reflects on long-lost loves and wonders if he can find meaning and true love as the clock of his life quickly clicks away.

Servillo carries the film with an air of old-fashioned charm reminding us of Mastroianni in several Fellini classics fifty years ago, even as his constant chain-smoking becomes annoying (never wakes up with a hacking cough…really?!!). The guy is believable as a ladies man thanks, in part, to his impeccably tailored suits (kudos to the costume designers). Trouble is that his character just glides in and out of scenes with very little impact on his way of life. We think he may have connected with an old friend’s aging stripper daughter, but the subplot evaporates and he’s back to square (or party) one. A third act story involving an elderly nun who might be made a saint doesn’t pay off. And too often Sorrentino resorts to heavily made-up grotesque faces screaming into the camera lens during  those big group dance numbers. No noise complaints over there! Fortunately he rewards us with beautiful shots of the statues and fountains. And Jeb’s lush apartment has a great view of the coliseum, plus one’s of his pals has the keys to some incredible hidden-away art galleries. THE GREAT BEAUTY is indeed a beautiful travelogue of that fabled land across the sea, but it’s a shame that the script meanders in search of a dramatic destination.

2.5 Out of 5

THE GREAT BEAUTY opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas