| CIAO AMERICA Rating:  Director: Frank Ciota Producers: Conchita Airoldi, Dino Di Dionisio, Roger Marino Writer: Joseph A. Ciota Director of Photography: Giulio Pietromarchi Cast: Eddie Malavarca, Maurizio Nichetti, Violante Placido, Nathaniel Marston, Anthony DeSando, Giancarlo Giannini, Paul Sorvino Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew. |
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Review by: Kim
Justice
9/16/02
Ciao America could have been a cookie-cutter clone of a romantic comedy. Thankfully, it breaks the mold and instead comes off as a realistic romance. I must admit that I missed a few of the things mainstream cinema has trained me to expect (more on that later), but the film is better for it.
Relative unknown Eddie Malavarca plays Lorenzo Primavera, a recent college graduate from Boston who takes a trip to Italy in an attempt to discover his place in the world as well as the reason his grandfather chose never to return. Lorenzo is quickly given a job as a football (American football, not soccer) coach for a relatively new Italian team, which he reluctantly takes with the understanding that another American will arrive soon to take his place. While there, he meets music student Paola Angelini (Violante Placido) and soon falls in love with her. Lorenzo must eventually decide whether to return to the States and attend law school or stay in Italy and choose love over money.
With mainstream romantic comedies one can usually expect giant emotional highs and lows as well as a huge romantic finish. I found none of these in Ciao America. At first, I thought that was a bad thing. After a little more thought, however, I was able to retrain my brain to discover that it was merely different; and different, as this film proves, can be a welcome change. They say nobody likes change, but those that this film makes translate into a more realistic and honest romance than the Julia Roberts' comedy formulas to which I've become accustomed.
All upside aside, it's not a perfect film (few are). As I mentioned before, I missed some of those pieces that normally fit into the romantic comedy puzzle. The absence of those highs and lows also creates a small absence of interest in the characters themselves. It really is more like watching the real lives of people without the help of clever editing by reality show producers. People truly aren't that interesting. And the filmmakers didn't delve too far into the motives behind the characters' actions.
As usual, the main character Lorenzo is the most detailed, but we catch only glimpses of most of the others. Paola is touted as a music student, but we never even see her with an instrument. The football players, granted, are only supporting characters, but I would have liked to learn a little more about them. They provide most of the comedy, including a cute scene with some Italian sign language, and deserve a little more fleshing out.
Then there's the football itself. After such football comedies as Necessary Roughness and The Replacements, I've come to expect a little more tension in the games I see on the silver screen. Ciao America delivers enough funny football moments, but I think some alternate music choices could have pumped up some of the more serious pigskin segments of the film. Granted, this film is more about romance than it is about sports, but football takes up enough running time to require a little more effort to make it interesting.
But if there's one thing in this film I can't fault, it's the scenery. Italy is a gorgeous backdrop that befits two youngsters falling in love. The locations were well-chosen and never overshadow the action taking place. I've heard horror stories about horny, hairy Italians accosting American tourists, but this film paints a prettier picture, one of average people who are kind and generous to all they meet.
So, despite a few music mistakes and the under-development of some characters, Ciao America manages to be a touching, thoughtful film about life, love, and sacrifice. If you've been brainwashed by mainstream cinema, this film won't live up to your expectations. But if you're willing to invest a little more time and thought, Ciao America deserves your box office dollars.
(Opens exclusively in National Amusements
theaters on September 20 in seven U.S. markets including: Los
Angeles, New York, Boston and Washington D.C.)
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