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L' Ora di Religione (Il Sorriso di Mia Madre) (The Religion Hour) (My Mother's Smile) (2002)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 7/10
Reviews Counted: 25
Fresh: 21 | Rotten: 4

Castellitto's performance is the strong center of this surreal, fascinating film about a man's questioning of his religious beliefs and his relation to his mother.

Average Rating: 6.9/10
Critic Reviews: 10
Fresh: 8 | Rotten: 2

Castellitto's performance is the strong center of this surreal, fascinating film about a man's questioning of his religious beliefs and his relation to his mother.

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Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 621

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Movie Info

Ernesto (Sergio Castellitto of Va Savoir) is a successful artist and devout atheist who finds out that his mother, whom he despised, is being considered for sainthood. Ernesto's young son, Leonardo (Alberto Mondini), influenced by his religion teacher, has developed a fear of God, whom he tries to shoo away like a pest. "If He's everywhere," Leonardo reasons, "then I'm not free -- even for a second." Ernesto's estranged wife, Irene (Jacqueline Lustig), encourages Leonardo's faith, and seems to

Unrated, 1 hr. 43 min.

Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

Directed By: Marco Bellocchio

Written By: Marco Bellocchio

In Theaters: Apr 19, 2002 Wide

On DVD: May 16, 2006

Nighthawks Pictures GmbH & Co.

Cast

Sergio Castellitto
Ernesto
Jacqueline Lustig
Irene
Chiara Conti
Diana
Alberto Mondini
Leonardo
Gianni Schicchi
Filippo Argenti
Maurizio Donadoni
Cardinal Piumini
Gigio Alberti
Ettore
Bruno Cariello
Don Pugni
Renzo Rossi
Baldracchi
Piera Degli Esposti
Aunt Maria
Donato Placido
Egidio
Gianfelice Imparato
Erminio
Pietro De Silva
Curzio Sandali
Toni Bertorelli
Bulla

Critic Reviews for L' Ora di Religione (Il Sorriso di Mia Madre) (The Religion Hour) (My Mother's Smile)

All Critics (27) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (21) | Rotten (4) | DVD (2)

An artful look at religious hypocrisy, interfamily dynamics and the way people wrestle with personal history long after the original events are over.

September 9, 2005 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle

| Comment

Jonathan Curiel

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

It's a bit of a mess but strong stuff nevertheless.

August 5, 2005 Full Review Source: Boston Globe

| Comment

Ty Burr

Boston Globe

Top Critic

It is a riveting, rich portrait of an atheist who thinks he's resistant to faith but may be in the throes of a feverish conversion.

May 20, 2005 Comment

Carrie Rickey

Philadelphia Inquirer

Top Critic

In the central role, Castellitto's powerfully focused performance manages to keep the complex drama grounded.

May 20, 2005 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

David Rooney

Variety

Top Critic

Far from a blasphemy, My Mother's Smile is the story of one man's journey back to belief.

February 11, 2005 Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger

| Comment

Stephen Whitty

Newark Star-Ledger

Top Critic

An edgy drama unwinds with an emotional letdown.

February 11, 2005 Comment

Debra Birnbaum

New York Post

Top Critic

Bellocchio famously took on the Catholic Church and the Italian family in his frenetic first film ... Now 40 years later, Bellocchio's attack on the same institutions is calmer and more temperate.

May 17, 2006 Full Review Source: Film-Forward.com

| Comment

Kent Turner

Film-Forward.com

Enigmatic and mesmerizing.

May 12, 2006 Full Review Source: Miami Herald

| Comment

Marta Barber

Miami Herald

Never as engaging as the mystery surrounding it.

March 3, 2006 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews

| Comment

Dennis Schwartz

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Exceptionally handsome, somber film.

July 22, 2005 Full Review Source: Seattle Times

| Comment

Tom Keogh

Seattle Times

It's messy and unsettled, but Bellocchio's distaste for the cynicism and mendacity is potent and sincere.

July 21, 2005 Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

| Comment

Sean Axmaker

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

It's almost as if screenwriter/director Marco Bellocchio wants to exorcise personal demons rather than entertain.

July 1, 2005 Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City

| Comment

Jeff Vice

Deseret News, Salt Lake City

The quizzically abrupt ending leaves [too many] questions, and the viewer, hanging.

July 1, 2005 Comment

Sean Means

Salt Lake Tribune

Almost as fearless as its protagonist in taking on the politics of the Catholic Church and the hypocrisies of the religious-minded.

April 9, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Journal International

| Comment

Eric Monder

Film Journal International

Bellocchio's complex drama is held together by the tight and focused performance of Castellitto.

February 11, 2005 Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine

| Comment

Mark Keizer

Boxoffice Magazine

It's a sly, subtle portrait of systematic hypocrisy (try to count the number of times faith is referred to as an 'insurance policy') and the mysterious way fate binds children to their parents.

February 11, 2005 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

| Comment

Maitland McDonagh

TV Guide's Movie Guide

This superbly filmed Italian drama stands with Bellocchio's best work.

February 10, 2005 Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor

| Comment

David Sterritt

Christian Science Monitor

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for L' Ora di Religione (Il Sorriso di Mia Madre) (The Religion Hour) (My Mother's Smile)

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In "My Mother's Smile", Ernesto(Sergio Castellitto, who is superb), an artist, is dumbstruck when he is approached one day with the news that his mother is in the final stages of being nominated for sainthood by the Vatican and is asked to testify. This only causes old wounds to be reopened since his mother was killed

March 9, 2007