Bread and Tulips

Rating:
Summary: Gently hilarious, humane, and refreshing
Review: "Bread and Tulips," Silvio Soldini's gently hilarious comedy, allows viewers to revel in a lovely story about the renewal of life and hope. It bears some resemblance to "Under the Tuscan Sun," but benefits from a stronger story and more fully realized characters. It also has some similarities to David Lean's "Summertime"--another beloved movie about a middle-aged woman finding romance in Venice--but the mood in "Bread and Tulips" is more sweet than bittersweet. Rosalba (Licia Maglietta), a bored housewife, is left behind on vacation with her crabby family when their tour bus leaves without her. Rather than going straight home to Pescara on the Abruzzi coast, she decides on a whim to head up to Venice, where she has never been. From there on in, the movie is very much about the renewal of the spirit--not only Rosalba's, but also that of Fernando (Bruno Ganz), the romantic restaurateur who falls for Rosalba, and Constantino (Giuseppe Battiston), the tubby, sad-sack plumber who reluctantly spies on Rosalba as a prerequisite for getting a job from Rosalba's bossy husband. These three actors give delightful performances, as do the other players in this quirky romantic comedy. Particularly enjoyable for American audiences is that Soldini places us in a Venice rarely seen in the tourist brochures. San Marco and other wonders are seen only in passing; most of the action takes place in Venice's back streets, among the rainbow-hued houses, tiny fountain-centered courtyards, and toy bridges crossing narrow canals. The photography is lovely, and looks sensational in the DVD transfer. "Bread and Tulips" is a two-hour vacation in a sweeter, gentler world.

Rating:
Summary: A Nice Holiday
Review: "Bread and Tulips" is a charming Italian film about a housewife who is accidentally left behind by her loud family while on holiday. She decides to visit Venice on her own, where she has never been, and ends up staying for much longer than planned. While there, she meets a bunch of oddballs and brings a little sunshine to their lives, while being dogged by a comic detective sent by her husband to bring her home. There is not much scenic footage of Venice here, but some the characters are memorable and there are some plot twists that prevent it from being too predictable. Unfortunately there are also a few loose ends, such as the fate of the woman's son whom she worries about back home. There are also a few brief, bizarre interludes which I think are supposed to be dream sequences, though the cinematography does not make this clear. At any rate, this is an amusing bit of escapism and worth seeing once.

Rating:
Summary: Gently hilarious, humane, and refreshing
Review: "Bread and Tulips," Silvio Soldini's gently hilarious comedy, allows viewers to revel in a lovely story about the renewal of life and hope. It bears some resemblance to "Under the Tuscan Sun," but benefits from a stronger story and more fully realized characters. It also has some similarities to David Lean's "Summertime"--another beloved movie about a middle-aged woman finding romance in Venice--but the mood in "Bread and Tulips" is more sweet than bittersweet. Rosalba (Licia Maglietta), a bored housewife, is left behind on vacation with her crabby family when their tour bus leaves without her. Rather than going straight home to Pescara on the Abruzzi coast, she decides on a whim to head up to Venice, where she has never been. From there on in, the movie is very much about the renewal of the spirit--not only Rosalba's, but also that of Fernando (Bruno Ganz), the romantic restaurateur who falls for Rosalba, and Constantino (Giuseppe Battiston), the tubby, sad-sack plumber who reluctantly spies on Rosalba as a prerequisite for getting a job from Rosalba's bossy husband. These three actors give delightful performances, as do the other players in this quirky romantic comedy. Particularly enjoyable for American audiences is that Soldini places us in a Venice rarely seen in the tourist brochures. San Marco and other wonders are seen only in passing; most of the action takes place in Venice's back streets, among the rainbow-hued houses, tiny fountain-centered courtyards, and toy bridges crossing narrow canals. The photography is lovely, and looks sensational in the DVD transfer. "Bread and Tulips" is a two-hour vacation in a sweeter, gentler world.

Rating:
Summary: Where else but in Venezia???
Review: "La Serenissima"...where fantasy abounds and romance awaits at every turn, even in Venice's back streets and hidden "calli." Licia Maglietta's expressive face really lights up this film, although all of the performances are strong. She has the charisma of a slightly-younger Norma Aleandro, and her comic timing is just about perfect. The film is peopled with wonderfully quirky characters and is very funny, especially if you're a student of the Italian language. I give it my highest rating (two wire whisks and a chicken leg.)

Rating:
Summary: Like a pleasant dream on a lazy summer day.
Review: A bored middle aged housewife whose family leaves her at a bus stop goes to Venice on a whim. She meets a charmingly eccentric cast of characters that lets her find relief from her daily life. She leaves routine behind and rediscovers life's pleasures and enjoyments. The film manages to show a serious mid-life crisis in a style that's heartwarming and comedic if not very realistic. I especially liked how it shows her anxieties about her family in dream sequences. That helps deal with the seriousness of worrying for her sons without taking away from the pleasant tone of the movie. Bread and Tulips has a marvelous cast and is beautifully filmed in Venice.

Rating:
Summary: Charming Trip to Venice
Review: A charming, funny and warm story filmed in Venice, Italy. The characters are believable, human and lovable. A rare treat for independent women and a good lesson for men.

Like Shirley Valentine, this one is just as good. I enjoyed it very much. Am thinking of buying it for my collection. It's one of those "feel good" movies.

Rating:
Summary: Midlife crisis anyone?
Review: A delightful movie to watch.Venice,a perfect place to rediscover yourself and have your midlife crisis at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful
Review: A delightful, "feel good" experience is Bread and Tulips. In a time of anguish, sadness and concern after the events of 11 September 2001, the viewing public could not do better than to drag themselves away from the TV and spend a couple of hours cleansing their soles in this therapeutic, wonderfully Italian tale of true happiness.

Rating:
Summary: Charming film
Review: A thoroughly charming romantic comedy from Italy. Rosalba (Licia Maglietta), a housewife who has been taken for granted by her family, finds herself separated from them when they forget her at a rest stop. Not even realizing what she is doing at first, she takes the opportunity to hitchhike to Venice and enjoy a hiatus from her dissatisfying life. Before long, she has a job in a florist's shop and has encountered an endearingly quirky cast of characters-a melancholy waiter (Bruno Ganz), a goofy masseuse (Marina Massironi), and the amateur detective who has been sent by her husband to find her (Giuseppe Battiston).

This film could have easily become too cloying or self-consciously cute. It avoids these pitfalls by employing a marvelous cast. The script (Doriana Leondeff) and direction (Silvio Soldini) focus on the humanity of the characters rather than superficial eccentricities that are meant to emphasize the whimsical nature of the story.

Rating:
Summary: Quite Impressing
Review: A very impressing movie. I went through it a second time and still find it a delight.

The film is not really too realistic in it's treatment, it's more like a comedy or else the story would be too much a cliche. The duties and obligations of life are smothering her inner nature. As a middle class housewife, her routine would be housalchores and her only pastime would be watching TV when pressing clothes and occasionally getting on a family trip. But the husband only cares about taking a picture and her son only listening to discman even on the trip... How her own feelings and urges, say, to make new friends, to play music that she was once so strongly attached to, or do some gardening which she is so talented. It's hardly a life of her own choice. And she manages to do them all in Venice. How?

It all started with the family on vacation, taking a trip which sent this housewife back to her innermost urge and feelings. It's presented in a way that it's overbrimming with fun and humour-- not just romance, and in a way the viewers wouldn't find it boring or unconvincing at all.

Needless to say, the pleasantness of the leading actress as well as the beautiful sceneries of the city has a lot to do with the success of the film too-- not just the German actor. The portrayal of the amateur detective is rather humourous or even sweet and that of the restaurant captain with a strong sense of resignation is a success; as to the beautician and the old achronistic florist, however brief the portrayal might be, they are all quite impressing indeed.