Made in Italy isn’t the normal type of film that we report about here, but it stood out to us for a few reasons. First, we are always down for Liam Neeson. Second, this film reminds us of a slightly more grown-up version of the severely underrated film ‘Life as a House’ starring Hayden Christensen and Kevin Kline. Finally, this film marks the feature directorial debut of James D’Arcy, who is probably best known here as the living embodiment of Jarvis in Marvel’s Peggy Carter series. He both directed and wrote the film.
In ‘Made In Italy’ Neeson attempts to reconcile with his son after years of estrangement as they try to fix up their Italian estate for sale. It is a pretty simple concept, but we love a good character driven story. They don’t all have to be full of explosions and light sabers.
Made in Italy opens in theaters and VOD August 7th.
Director: James D’Arcy Starring: Liam Neeson, Valeria Bilello, Micheál Richardson, Lindsay Duncan Made In Italy is a heart-warming father son story set in glorious Tuscany about bohemian London artist Robert (Neeson), who returns to Italy with his estranged son Jack (Richardson) to make a quick sale of the house they inherited from his late wife. Neither expects to find the once beautiful villa in such a state of disrepair… Renovations go badly, with father and son soon finding themselves at odds. Robert’s comical lack of DIY experience leads him to seek help from some colourful locals including the no nonsense Kate (Duncan), an ex-pat making her living selling villas who quickly captures his attention. For Jack, the state of the house seems to mirror his search for memories of happier times with his mother. He soon falls for Natalia (Bilello), a vivacious young Italian chef, who restores both body and soul with delights from her local trattoria – until the pair find their developing relationship in jeopardy from Natalia’s jealous and threatening ex-husband. As Robert and Jack painstakingly restore the villa to its previous glory, they also start to mend their relationship. The future may now look quite different and surprise them both.