Movie Review - 'Mid-August Lunch'

Mid-August Lunch Starring Gianni Di Gregorio, Valeria De Franciscis, and Marina Cacciotti Directed by Gianni Di Gregorio Not rated

We're getting close to summer, and that's when Hollywood tends to put away character development and honest emotions like winter clothes, only unpacking them again once the leaves fall off the tree. So we have to rely on the few indie films that find their way into theaters over the next few months as well as imports designed to offer you something different. It's unlikely that any of the major summer fare will take as much time and effort to explore its characters as Mid-August Lunch, an Italian film that picked up several European film award nominations last year. Part of that rather obvious shift from the sort of movies that will be upconverted to 3-D is the conscious decision by writer-director- star Gianni Di Gregorio to work with a cast of non-actors, performers who can't be concerned about their close-ups. Even Di Gregorio, who stars as a middle-aged man surrounded by debt (and his mother), has only appeared on screen once before. He's primarily known as a screenwriter, and Gomorrah - his previous credit and an entirely different story in every way - was one of last year's most talked about international films. But that lack of polish makes Mid-August Lunch (a translation from Pranzo di Ferragosto) a lot more comfortable and lived in, giving us the impression that this truly is a slice of life. Ferragosto is a major Italian holiday, celebrated for thousands of years. It's kind of like a longer Thanksgiving: Everything shuts down and families and friends gets together. In this case, the family consists of a large group of, shall we say, boisterous Italian women. Already living with his mother because he can't get his head above water financially, Gianni is joined by the mother of his condominium manager and her sister, as well as his doctor's mother. That's a spicy meatball. It would be easy to play to the stereotype of mother and Italian women just to go for cheap laughs, and while Mid-August Lunch certainly has laughs, they aren't forced or unnatural. As the film progresses, Di Gregorio becomes more at ease with these characters, letting them move the story forward. And it becomes clear to us that this isn't entirely a comedy. But don't a lot of the greatest comedies find a way to get there through some hint of sadness? We see why these women might be dropped off at the curb by their families, and it's not exactly happy, similar to the way John Candy would've spent his holiday on the road no matter what in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, even if Steve Martin hadn't come along. And much like that film, these women make unlikely but possibly lasting relationships. Mid-August Lunch doesn't have any explosions and there won't be action figures. There's really not a whole lot of "story" going on, except for the ones we read in the memorable, weathered faces of the women who have all come together for one special holiday. And while this isn't likely to be one of the best films you'll see all year, it's a great departure from the kind of thing we'll be overwhelmed by for a while.

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