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Movies / Upcoming / Il Divo
Il Divo

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Il Divo (2009)

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Reviews Counted: 41

Fresh: 37

Rotten:4

Average Rating: 7.5/10

Consensus: While the web of corruption in this Italian political thriller can be hard for a non-native to follow, the visuals and the intrigue are compelling and thrilling in equal measure.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Apr 24, 2009 Limited

Synopsis: Director Paolo Sorrentino's audacious and inventive biopic of Italian parliamentarian (and "Senator for Life") Giulio Andreotti doesn't make the Byzantine world of modern Italian politics any less... Director Paolo Sorrentino's audacious and inventive biopic of Italian parliamentarian (and "Senator for Life") Giulio Andreotti doesn't make the Byzantine world of modern Italian politics any less confusing (non-Italian viewers may want to brush up on the topic beforehand), but the film illuminates, in great emotional detail, important events surrounding an early-1990s investigation in which the perpetual statesman was accused of having Mafia ties. The case was appealed and overturned several times, and Andreotti never served prison time, but it effectively marked the end of his centrist Christian Democratic party and forever changed the age-old relationship between the Mafia and the Italian government. Sorrentino's fanciful use of titles, quick edits, multiple-perspective flashbacks, slow motion, extreme close-ups, and sublime musical accents--as well as star Toni Servillo's brilliantly stylized acting--convert this airless and sinister piece of world history into a dynamic tale of moral ambiguity and seemingly invulnerable political power. Servillo plays Andreotti as an arrogant, deadpan Puck--an Italian Richard Nixon replete with easily mimicable physical tics and the conviction of his own rightness. In the film's most memorable scene, Servillo allows his ironic veneer to crack just once, in a molten monologue where, spit flying, he justifies "perpetrating evil to guarantee good." Another chilling sequence intercuts a crucial Mafia hit with shots of a particularly tense and triumphant horse race, while a punky blues number roars in the background. Sorrentino's controlled and masterly storytelling won the 2008 Prix du Jury at Cannes. [More]

Starring: Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci

Starring: Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci, Carlo Buccirosso, Giorgio Colangeli, Alberto Cracco, Piera Degli Esposti, Lorenzo Gionelli, Paolo Graziosi

Director: Paolo Sorrentino

Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Screenwriter: Paolo Sorrentino
Producer: Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima, Andrea Occhipinti, Maurizio Coppolecchia
Composer: Teho Teardo
Studio: Music Box Films

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Reviews for Il Divo

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We may not know the man, but we know the dance, as seen in the highly diverting and hugely controversial Il Divo, a biopic as wly as its subject.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
07/10/09
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A stunning piece of work that feels both familiar and completely unique at the same time.

Full Review Source: Movie Retriever | comment Comment
07/10/09
Brian Tallerico
Movie Retriever

Servillo does such a good job of suggesting the drive and intelligence of the man that he automatically becomes one of the great recent cinematic symbols of absolute political power and the questionable means utilized in order to achieve it.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/09/09
Peter Sobczynski
eFilmCritic.com

After I saw Il Divo, I suppose I should have felt indignation. I suppose I should also have felt that way after "The Godfather." But such films present such mesmerizing figures that I simply regard them, astonished.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
07/09/09
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Even with no knowledge of Italian government, you can enjoy this hip, un-stodgy, grimly entertaining dissection of it.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
07/02/09
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

The enigmatic Andreotti is the perfect subject for a biopic in the European tradition.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
06/30/09
Kerry Lengel
Arizona Republic
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You may not leave the theater with a firmer grasp of Italian politics, but you will leave with an appreciation of some outstanding filmmaking.

Full Review Source: Capital Times (Madison, WI) | comment Comment
06/26/09
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)

There is sufficient power in the imagery and performances to make Il Divo worth hacking through.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
06/26/09
Shawn Levy
Oregonian

All in all, this phenomenal film illustrates Alexis de Tocqueville's observation that "The people get the government they deserve." In both meanings of the word, Il Divo is sensational.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
06/05/09
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
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Il Divo joins Matteo Garrone's more expansive, more extraordinary Gomorrah -- which contains an even better performance from Servillo -- as a grim portrait of the trouble with modern Italy.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
06/04/09
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
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...we get a in depth look into Italian politics. But, you don't need to be familiar with that country's volatile recent years to enjoy a fine piece of filmmaking.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
05/29/09
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Should you go into this movie with no knowledge of this slice of history, you'll not only learn something, but you'll be so entertained you may find yourself laughing out loud (when you're not shaking your head).

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
05/28/09
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

A must-see for political junkies of any nationality.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
05/28/09
Kristin Tillotson
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Il Divo is best appreciated as the bizarre character study of an essentially unlovable man who somehow became one of his country's most successful leaders.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
05/15/09
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
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Simultaneously exhilarating and confounding, dazzling and confusing, this is filmmaking of such verve and style that you likely won't care that you can't follow it completely.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
04/30/09
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
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You need know nothing about Italian politics to completely enjoy the fantastical, Fellini-fied, tragi-comic, biographical fun-for-all Il Divo.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
04/29/09
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
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You could dismiss Servillo’s portrayal as a cartoon, but the great actors know that beneath the dark surface of caricature lies a heightened and vivifying truth, as potent as fortified wine. Consume with great caution, and with joy.

Full Review Source: New Yorker | comment Comment
04/27/09
Anthony Lane
New Yorker
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The switchblade style of snappy scenes and quick cuts delivers juicy, visual delight.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
04/27/09
Matthew Nestel
Boxoffice Magazine

boasts a bravura performance by Toni Servillo, stylish cinematography and a provocative premise, but it often feels convoluted and leaves you emotionally detached from the events onscreen. It's often compelling as a political thriller, but lacks insight a

Full Review Source: NYC Movie Guru | comment Comment
04/24/09
Avi Offer
NYC Movie Guru

So much half-digested information is expelled, so many key incidents skate by, that the effect is like being force-fed a history lesson you never wanted to sit through in the first place.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
04/24/09
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor
 
 
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