Tag: Gianni Di Gregorio

THE SALT OF LIFE – The Review

THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH was the first major Hollywood film to address the wandering eye ( and libido ) of long time, staid husbands. The subject was explored in greater depth in the 60’s with the anthology A GUIDE FOR THE MARRIED MAN and in the 80’s with THE WOMAN IN RED ( except Gene Wilder just fixated on Kelly LeBrock as the title character ). As it turns out RED is based on a European film where the rules of marriage are quite a bit looser than in the good ole’ USA. And they’ve been doing many more films across the pond about hubbys gettin’ frisky over the years. For the new film THE SALT OF LIFE, we get a chance to see Italy’s take on love and marriage ( and a little something on the side ).

SALT tells the story of Gianni ( writer/ director Gianni Di Gregorio ), a schlubby sixty-something married father who’s sure that he’s missing out on all the action. He’s retired, collecting a pension, and sharing a spacious apartment in Rome with his still working wife, college age daughter, and her boyfriend ( who seems to always be staying over ). After fixing breakfast for his wife, Gianni spends much of his day dashing to the home of his frail, aging momma. But , prodded by his lawyer buddy Alfonso, Gianni’s on a quest to score. His mamma’s luscious live-in nurse is a possibility. How about his downstairs neighbor, a party girl with an enormous St, Bernard ( Gianni takes the beast for long walks in the park ) ? But then there’s the overly friendly, now grown-up daughter of one of his mamma’s poker pals. Maybe he should rekindle the passion with an old flame from years past. At one point, Alfonso enlists Gianni as his ‘ wing man ‘ when two blonde bombshell sisters arrive at his office. Later Alfonso gives Gianni a male performance pill along with confusing directions to a brothel ( can he arrives before the effects wear off? ). After his many calamities, will he ever succeed?

This is a gentle character study that has a timeless quality. It’s not gut-busting hilarious, but Gianni’s hapless attempts should make you smile ( or perhaps wince in recognition ). It’s hard to stay angry at him for his wanderlust due to the sprightly performance of Di Gregorio. He gets terrific support from the actors playing his friends and family and particularly the bevy of beautiful actresses that cross his path. The cast along with the beautiful Rome location work makes THE SALT OF LIFE a slighty spicy look at a retiree who’s still a kid ( maybe a horny teenager ) at heart.

Overall Rating: 3.5 Out of 5 Stars

 

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