Name: L'abbuffata
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2007-11-16
Duration: 1 h 40 min
Rating: 5.3
Cast: Paolo Briguglia, Elena Bouryka, Lorenzo Di Ciaccia

Good film about film, with a macabre twist

Young filmmakers in a small town in southern Italy seek guidance from a celebrated director, retired and living in their area. Part of his advice for their intended film is to recruit a well-known actor. On a trip to Rome they make a connection that gives an introduction to Gérard Depardieu to be their star, but what would persuade him to fly to Calabria to make a film with amateur would-be directors, and can he survive the experience? Local people fill roles in the film within the film, and in the film itself.

The film's director Mimmo Calopresti called it "a film about cinema in all its forms, about the desire to make cinema despite everything". It's not as enthralling, nor as sentimental, as Cinema Paradiso, but it's rather good fun, not least when the film needs a hasty rewrite. It deserved a wider audience but is little known outside Italy (and not much in Italy).

Italian cinema has deeply influenced world cinema through its socially conscious realism and modernist experimentation, but it also flourished in popular genres like peplum (sword & sandal), giallo thrillers, and broad comedies. Its narratives often weave together politics, contemporary social change, class consciousness, and family dynamics, balancing artistic ambition with entertainment that resonated widely.

Lamberto Maggiorani in Bicycle Thieves (1948)

The comedy genre refers to a category of entertainment that aims to amuse and entertain audiences by using humor, wit, and comedic situations. Comedies are created with the primary intention of eliciting laughter and providing lighthearted enjoyment. They encompass a wide range of styles, tones, and themes, appealing to various tastes and audiences.

Will Ferrell, Angela Grillo, and Lap-Gei Cheung in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

A pair of Italian filmmakers go to Rome to find a star for their first project.

Diego Abatantuono, Paolo Briguglia, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Nino Frassica, Donatella Finocchiaro, Elena Bouryka, and Lorenzo Di Ciaccia in L'abbuffata (2007)

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L'abbuffata

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