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1. Lawrence Gleeson 11.07.12 / 12pm

   I agree. Superbly crafted film. I felt drawn from the very opening scene with the powerful colors of red and gold and the majestic horse drawn carriage standing in juxtaposition to the term reality, as the showcase was a dream-like wedding party fantasy complete with a grand entrance to a white-gated Italian villa. I too felt the overwhelming presence of color in the opening and also later with the pastels that appeared in the costumes and in the marketplace background near the fishmonger’s stand. Granted, the protagonist did obsess to a degree. Yet, in the end he perserveres and he stretches out on a luminous chaise lounge while the camera pulls out with a redemptive God shot. His investment in reality show based fame has come to fruition. Very compelling ending to a heart-warming story.
2. Whitney Murdy 11.11.12 / 11am

   Had I not seen this film, your review would have been very confusing to me. The intense illusion Luciano has that he can get on the Italian version of the reality show “Big Brother” is what really drives the story forward. Any context or synopsis is lost in this review as well as the fact that it is somewhat a comedy. I do agree with your analysis on the theme of this “reality” show he was so set on made him actually lose sight of what reality is. He became neurotic and paranoid and his family could not function around him. Good review on the other elements such as cinematography and mise-en-scene though.
3. China Rose 11.11.12 / 5pm

   “Reality was a superbly crafted and extremely entertaining show about a show! Or rather about a man, a working class Neapolitan fish monger, who wants to become a celebrity on a show. It begins as a fantasy and ends where fantasy and reality meet.” What about that does not make sense? A show about or within within a show (as the premise) is a common theme for thematic elements in film analyses. Guess its a good thing I didn’t discuss too much of the subtext since it is abstract theory by it’s very nature. Then you’d really be in a tail spin. Sometimes a less mature, or younger person will not see the context of what a human goes through in a mid-life crisis as happens to the protagonist in this story. But that seemed to obvious a point to discuss. When we have our own perceptions rather than seeking to please a peer group often seen in teen lifestyles we grow up. We all see different things in films so I’m glad I have unique perspective and thanks for pointing that out even if you did it in a snarky way!
4. China Rose 11.11.12 / 5pm

   If I saw purple rainbows and you missed it doesn’t mean they weren’t there. Please keeps your comments to things about the film and not about me personally. I did not see what you saw and yes I do disagree with your assessment of the film. Luciano did not have an illusion he had a delusion if you look up the word.
5. JJ E 11.12.12 / 1pm

   In the beginning of this film, i was a fan. Near the end, I wasn’t.

   Some of the positives: beautifully-long introduction shot helped to show the power and money of some characters in the beginning.

   -Luciano’s character is fully grown and he does a great job at playing it.

   -The Italian families were captured magnificently, which made them incredibly funny and sincere.

   -The art direction was fantastic.

   -I loved the interruptive ending: the audience doesn’t know if he is laughing because he finally accomplished his goal, or if he is laughing because he saw what the reality show was really like, or if he is just purely insane… Sometimes these endings don’t go well, but with a long, dragged-out film like this that shows us just about everything, it helps to add some suspense.

   Negatives: Right from the bat, I was not a fan of the cinematography. Throughout the film, this was this subtle grain in every frame which began to be distracting. Since this film was shot on 35mm, the director added this in for a reason, in which I believe to hurt the film more than it added.

   Next, while the beginning was good at first, oh-my-god it was too long. Because of such, this movie was nearly 30 minutes in before the audience entered the second-act.. I understand the importance of building up the game show and making us understand why Luciano would like to be on it, but it was overkill.

   Lastly, the entire movie was too long for the amount of suspense/comedy/action/journey that the audience went on. The only thing this long story added was characterization that the audience left with at the end of the day, and nothing else.
6. China Rose 11.12.12 / 5pm

   Thx JJ, I wanted to stick to the theme of celebrating the film maker as AFI presented it. In this film I felt a lot of Fellini’s La Dolce Vita and strangely, what you said is similarly how I felt when I first saw that film. This one to me draws on this kind of Italian sensibility and thematic quality. I saw something I liked in this film, and yes as you mentioned many things to take apart. I’ll leave that to the jackals and hyenas of the peanut gallery but I’ve noticed the best film makers are also sometimes the most controversial. It had a realism and banality that speaks to me of reality shows (and even shades of Napoleon Dynamite) so that part functioned in the storyline as a whole for me.
7. Cia C 11.12.12 / 9pm

   Great review. I share both your enthusiasm and the issues you had with the film. I loved the beginning – the fairy tale horse drawn wagon moving through the city – and the festivities of the wedding -the characters all dressed in their sparkly best. I especially loved how we moved down the row as they all peeled their wedding attire off- stripping down to “reality” after the ceremony was over. Also loved the actors and characters and initial journey of the film but you nailed it. Camera shots annoying & blurry – the idea kind of petered out.

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