I was going into this with unsure expectations. But after seeing this, I am now looking forward to anything else he has to offer as from the opening scene, I felt I was in safe hands. The film gives us a fascinating story with very poignant and profound themes, very interesting dream sequences and top performances that ended with one of the most powerful ending scenes I have seen in a long time.
While all that is happening, the unreal cinematography by Luca Bigazzi makes it gorgeous to look at and overall it gives us a beautifully crafted drama. Every frame felt like a work of art.
The ensemble cast do a fantastic job with all of their performances. Michael Caine leads the way and he does what he does best. However, I felt it was the supportive roles that made this film as enjoyable as it is.
Rachel Weisz was terrific and it seems 2015 has been her comeback year. With this and The Lobster been such great successes, I hope we see more of her. One other actor that I am glad to see do so well again is Harvey Keitel. It has been a while since I have seen Keitel deliver such a great performance.
Jane Fonda was also a real scene-stealer in this. Despite only being in for two scenes, her presence definitely resembles that of Glorian Swanson's performance in Sunset Boulevard. Other honorable mentions go to Luna Zimic Mojovic, Robert Seethaler and Madalina Ghenea.
The only negatives that I would mention is that some of the avant-garde sequences did not quite work for me and felt out of place. But I may warm to the them once I see more of Sorrentino's work. But for now, those parts were troublesome.
After being unsure beforehand whether I would be confused by it or not was totally washed away early on. I really enjoyed Paolo Sorrentino's style of directing. It definitely won't be too everyone's taste as it can get a bit too avant-garde. But from what I am hearing, this is probably Sorrentino's most accessible film. So if you feel like you want to dip your toes into something new, this is could be a good one for you.
It has some solid comedy, terrific visuals, multiple memorable performances and as I mentioned earlier, a final scene that was so powerful that the people in the screening with me did not leave until the very end of the credits.
Rating: 8/10
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