I’ve reviewed a lot of European TV series when they start streaming on our side of the Atlantic in the last several years. Among the light-hearted ones, France’s “Captain Marleau” and “Sharif” have been my favorites. Italy has also come up with some amusing forays into the genre. “Vincenzo Malconico: Italian Lawyer” is the most farcical of them all, as the eponymous attorney (Massimiliano Gallo) is a flustered guy with a marginal practice, besieged by hassles from all directions – family, friends, neighbors and clients –and usually more than one at a time. It’s eight episodes of fast-paced mayhem, so one needs to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it. Murders occur, but the emphasis is far more on character comedy than the whodunnit component.
Much about Vincenzo’s appearance screams loser, from his rumpled suits, to his cell phone’s obnoxious ring tone that seems to interrupt every nice moment he ALMOST gets to enjoy, to the way he clutches his briefcase to his chest wherever he goes, apparently not trusting its handle the way everyone else on the planet who totes one for a living does. He’s divorced from an ex-wife (Teresa Saponangelo) who is so overbearing and irrational (despite being a psychologist; or perhaps because of it) that her own mother (Lina Sastri) prefers Vincenzo’s company and counsel to that of her daughter’s. He loves his two adult kids, but is too frazzled to be reliable about things like showing up when he’s supposed to, despite his laudable intentions. All of that is consistent with the series’ Italian title which had “avvocato d’insucceso”after his name and the colon. That roughly translates to “loser lawyer.”
The season opens with Vincenzo being pressured to take a murder case, defending an alleged corpse disposer for Salerno’s mob, even though his practice doesn’t stretch to that area of the law. That earns him the unwanted protection and excessive presence of the defendant’s enforcer, Tricarico (Francesco di Liva). Tricario sees himself as a Dr. Watson to a Sherlock, but he’s more like Mongo to Sheriff Bart in BLAZING SADDLES. Three key killings intertwine throughout the season, providing mysteries and dramatic elements for the scripts as counterpoint to the comedic.
On the (mostly) plus side for our hero, gorgeous lawyer Alessandra (Denise Capezza) seems far more drawn to him than colleagues, most viewers or Vincenzo can believe. In her presence, he’s as shy and awkward as an unpopular, acne-covered ‘tween at his first mixer. And rightly so, for as they say, he’s punching way above his weight class in being with her. Or, in more common parlance, she’s 4-5 rungs above him on the ol’ 1-10 hotness ladder. This all begins after his ex had dumped him and married another, while still coming to Vincenzo regularly for a supplemental boink. Her will, in and out of bed, overwhelms him to an amazing extent as she continues to demand his attentions, sexually and otherwise.
The rest of the details are better left for you to discover. Vincenzo’s underdog charm keeps our empathy solidly in his corner through failures and successes, weaknesses and strengths. Saponangelo plays the virago to the hilt, scheming and demanding whatever suits her in the moment, with absolutely no self-awareness. She needs strong medication and/or substantial time ON a shrink’s couch far more than beside her own, therapizing others. Di Liva and Sastri in supporting roles make their characters shine well beyond the lines written for them. Her character arc is particularly endearing.
The season ends with reasonable closure on most plot and character elements, without the frustration of significant cliffhangers. A few questions do remain open. So this can work as a charming miniseries, or the opening for further seasons if the Gods of Programming will it. I’d prefer the latter.
“Vincenzo Malinconico: Italian Lawyer,” in Italian with English subtitles, streams on MHzChoice as of Tuesday, Mar. 5.
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
