Review: MID-AUGUST LUNCH

Pranzo di ferragosto, or MID-AUGUST LUNCH in English, is a delightful Italian slice-of-life comedy about a middle-aged man with the best intentions. Gianni Di Greggorio co-wrote, directed and stars in this story of Gianni and his mother versus three elderly women. Gianni does not have a job, at least, not in the traditional sense. Gianni lives with his mother nearing the age of 100, spending his days caring for her. Gianni cooks, cleans and does anything and everything else that is necessary around their apartment. However, this also means he hasn’t the means to pay his share of the condominium costs.

As a result, Alfonso the administrator breaks the bad news to Gianni that the condominium members are threatening to hire a lawyer and sue. Gianni has no substantial means, but haggles for leniency, leading Alfonso to offer a deal… Gianni must keep the Alfonso’s mother with him for two days while he takes a trip on vacation. Reluctant at first, the good-natured Gianni agrees. What Gianni soon realizes is that this would begin the chain reaction of circumstances over the next two days, taking him to the brink of exhaustion. When Alfonso returns, he brings his Aunt Maria as well, and one more elderly woman will join Gianni’s senior slumber party before the day is through.

Gianni now is faced with spending two whole days, not just with his mother, or even merely with Alfonso’s mother, but Alfonso’s Aunt Maria and his doctor’s mother Grazia as well. It doesn’t take long before things begin to unravel as Alfonso’s mother becomes angry over access to the television, Grazia is upset over Gianni upholding her son’s rules governing her strict diet and Gianni’s own mother’s concerns about the lot of them staying in their home.

Gianni is a kind man with seemingly endless patience. Alfonso’s mother Marina, on the other hand, is less than civil at first. For anyone whose seen EVERYBODY LOVE RAYMOND, Marina is like a PG-rated version of Ray’s mother on the show. Aunt Maria is a sweet lady, but forgetful, eluding to the possibility of early stages of Alzheimer’s. Grazia is almost equally as nice, but has a number of medical conditions requiring medication and strict diet, such as acid reflux and lactose intolerance. In other words, Grazia is one in a small home of five Italians who love their food, but also the one who cannot have any cheese or tomatoes.

As the granny-sitting progresses, Gianni finds himself being worn down and even believing he’s experienced a scare of heart trouble. Gianni does his best to keep the women happy, or at least sedated, waiting out the mandatory contractual time of his deals with Alfonso and the doctor. However, the women begin to grow on each other and find themselves in a situation they actually prefer to their own lives at home with their own sons.

In the end, MID-AUGUST LUNCH has painted a quaint and enjoyably subtle comedy about Italian life in the golden years. The performances are as real and unpretentious as the characters’ names, all of which are the actors’ real names. Gianni has a familiarity to his appearance and an inviting personality. MID-AUGUST LUNCH is an intimate, comfortably short film –-75 minutes— foray into Rome on a less extravagant level, but is still filled with charm and beauty.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars