Sorrentino brings a turbulent period in Italian politics to vivid life. Unfortunately, there's far too much on screen for it to make sense to anyone but a history student
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04/24/09
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Il Divo (2009)
92
%
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Reviews Counted:48
Fresh:44
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7.5/10
Consensus: While the web of corruption in this Italian political thriller can be hard for a non-native to follow, the visuals and the intrigue are compelling and thrilling in equal measure.
Theatrical Release:20-03-2009
Synopsis: Director Paolo Sorrentino's audacious and inventive biopic of Italian parliamentarian (and "Senator for Life") Giulio Andreotti doesn't make the Byzantine world of modern Italian politics any less... [More]
Starring: Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci
Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Reviews for Il Divo
Often funny and always thrilling, this vibrant portrait of one of Italy's most agile political survivors has warnings for us all about the quieter exercises of power.
03/04/09
Top CriticIf the director never quite gets to the heart of the man, that's part of his point: Andreotti emerges from the film as a collection of fragments.
10/18/08
... not so much a savage satire as one disenchanted with the institutional corruption of politics.
12/05/09
Director Paolo Sorrentino takes the docudrama to a new level with his sophisticated portrait of the seven-time prime minister who reigned during the bloody Red Brigade period, among others.
10/15/09
... Sorrentino avoids the dreary conventions of the biopic in favor of a cheeky mix of music montages, dramatic re-enactments and hilariously deadpan takes ....
09/11/09
Combining clammy skin, busy hands, and a posture reminiscent of Snoopy in his vulture phase, [Servillo] (re-)creates a fascinating monster ... Given some CliffsNotes, the surrounding film might even be worthy of him.
09/02/09
The film takes flight on the brilliant title performance by Tony Servillo (Gomorrah), who plays Andreotti like a mummified Alec Guinness, as if encased in layers of plaster of Paris.
08/23/09
Inventive and fun... Toni Servillo gives a truly exquisite performance, easily the finest seen on U.S. screens in 2009 thus far.
07/21/09
This is a spectacular film about corruption in high places, specifically as that relates to the political life of Giulio Andreotti, seven times prime minister of Italy and a senator for life.
07/10/09
We may not know the man, but we know the dance, as seen in the highly diverting and hugely controversial Il Divo, a biopic as wly as its subject.
07/10/09
A stunning piece of work that feels both familiar and completely unique at the same time.
07/10/09
Servillo does such a good job of suggesting the drive and intelligence of the man that he automatically becomes one of the great recent cinematic symbols of absolute political power and the questionable means utilized in order to achieve it.
07/09/09
After I saw Il Divo, I suppose I should have felt indignation. I suppose I should also have felt that way after "The Godfather." But such films present such mesmerizing figures that I simply regard them, astonished.
07/09/09
Top CriticEven with no knowledge of Italian government, you can enjoy this hip, un-stodgy, grimly entertaining dissection of it.
07/02/09
The enigmatic Andreotti is the perfect subject for a biopic in the European tradition.
06/30/09
You may not leave the theater with a firmer grasp of Italian politics, but you will leave with an appreciation of some outstanding filmmaking.
06/26/09
There is sufficient power in the imagery and performances to make Il Divo worth hacking through.
06/26/09
All in all, this phenomenal film illustrates Alexis de Tocqueville's observation that "The people get the government they deserve." In both meanings of the word, Il Divo is sensational.
06/05/09
Il Divo joins Matteo Garrone's more expansive, more extraordinary Gomorrah -- which contains an even better performance from Servillo -- as a grim portrait of the trouble with modern Italy.
06/04/09
Latest News for Il Divo
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April 19, 2009:
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