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Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

Having demonstrated a mastery of long-form drama with The Young Pope (2016), Paolo Sorrentino originally presented this fantasy on Silvio Berlusconi's political comeback in two parts. However, it has been released in truncated form in the UK and one can't help wondering how the missing 50 minutes would have fitted into the meandering and not always convincing narrative. In addition to the efforts of Silvio (Toni Servillo) to worm his way back to power, Sorrentino and co-writer Umberto Contarello focus on the crumbling of his long marriage to Veronica Lario (Elena Sofia Ricci) and the efforts of provincial contractor Sergio Morra (Riccardo Scamarcio) and his spouse to buy their way into the former prime minister's charmed circle with the help of Silvio's mistress (Kasia Smutniak). In seeking to expose the debauched venality of Italy's upper echelons, however, Sorrentino employs tactics (including discomforting amounts of female nudity and debasement) that were more permissible in the days of Federico Fellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini than in the #MeToo era. The performances are exceptional, the production values impeccable. But this version feels consistently hamstrung by its structural flaws and tonal misjudgements.

How to watch

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Credits

Cast

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Silvio BerlusconiToni Servillo
Veronica LarioElena Sofia Ricci
Sergio MorraRiccardo Scamarcio
KiraKasia Smutniak
TamaraEuridice Axen
Santino RecchiaFabrizio Bentivoglio
Fabrizio SalaRoberto De Francesco
Paolo SpagnoloDario Cantarelli
Cupa CaiafaAnna Bonaiuto
Mariano ApicellaGiovanni Esposito

Crew

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DirectorPaolo Sorrentino

Details

Theatrical distributor
Curzon Artificial Eye
Released on
2019-04-19
Languages
Italian
Guidance
Sex scenes, drug abuse
Formats
Colour
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