Made in Italy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Made in Italy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 17, 2020

There’s been an influx of actors turning to direction in recent years. Just recently, Romola Garai found a spot helming the horror film “Amulet.” And now there’s James D’Arcy, who enjoyed roles in “Cloud Atlas,” “Dunkirk,” and Madonna’s “W.E.” The thespian makes his directorial debut with “Made in Italy,” a dramedy about a father and son and their life-changing trip to Tuscany to deal with family business. D’Arcy claims a screenwriting credit as well, putting his heart and soul into the effort, and his commitment to the sincerity of the picture is commendable, dealing with deep-seated emotions and assorted matters of life and love. It’s not a movie with dramatic sweep, but as something easy on the senses, “Made in Italy” is approachable, with some genuine humor and concern for its characters as they confront old business with fresh eyes.

Jack (Micheal Richardson) is an art gallery manager about to lose his job when the building is put up for sale by his estranged wife. Handed one month to come up with the funds to purchase the business, Jack decides it’s time to sell a family house in Tuscany he hasn’t visited in decades. Co- owning the property with his widower father, Robert (Liam Neeson), Jack pushes his reclusive painter parent to join him on a long trip to Italy, seeing if there’s any life to their strained relationship. Finding their way to the dwelling, the pair discover it’s in horrible shape, require extensive repairs before real estate agent Kate (Lindsay Duncan) can do anything with it. As the men work on the house and their issues, Jack’s attention is pulled toward Natalia (Valeria Bilello), a local restaurant owner who quickly warms to the American, connecting to him via their shared emotional baggage.

The hook of “Made in Italy” is found with the pairing of Liam Neeson and Micheal Richardson, who are real-life father and son, playing the same roles in the feature. Their lived-in performances are welcome here, as the movie is also entirely dependent on the cast delivering a noticeable level of charm. The story doesn’t quite have the same snap, but D’Arcy does suitably with minor issues of relationship unrest. There’s something of a ticking clock with the month-long countdown to the sale of the Italian house, but “Made in Italy” doesn’t pay very close attention to it, preferring to remain with the personalities, finding Jack lost in life, Robert keeping away from dark memories of his late wife, and Natalia dealing with a creepy ex-husband who controls custody of their daughter.

The home in Tuscany is a wreck, with a hole in the roof, a weasel in the cupboards, plumbing issues, and general piles of filth after years of decay. It also holds a wall-sized painting from Robert, representing his old artful spirit and time of inspiration, confronted with issues tied to the loss of his spouse. D’Arcy gets to the gut-rot stuff soon enough, but “Made in Italy” is going to enjoy the country as much as possible without becoming a tourism commercial. The home is situated in the middle of gorgeous country, mathematically engineered to soothe nerves, giving Jack a chance to collect a small fortune to make his gallery dreams come true. Of course, such restoration labor also applies to his heart, with D’Arcy turning Natalia into a love interest, though one with her own difficulties, making the pairing a bit more organic as they bond over broken hearts. Scenes of saucy food porn, cuddly community interactions, and opera on the soundtrack butter up the viewing experience, playing into expectations, but D’Arcy retains some levity, including time with Kate, who’s appalled by the sales challenge ahead of her.

Made in Italy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

It probably helps to be working with striking Italian locations, but the AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Made in Italy" provides a defined look at the rotted interiors of the house and glory shots of the open world. Colors are vibrant, presenting marvelous greenery as sprawling fields are filled with flowers and trees. Artful offerings bring out powerful primaries, and costuming is equally defined, matching the golden glow of the area. Skintones are natural. Detail is precise, with crisp facial surfaces and fibrous outfits. Distances are dimensional. Delineation is satisfactory. Some mild banding is periodically detected.

Made in Italy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix offers a warm sound for "Made in Italy," delivering clear scoring cues that offer gentle strings and piano support. Dialogue exchanges are crisp, preserving subtle emotionality and heavy accents. Atmospherics are inviting, providing a feel for the open area around the house, and room tone is exact inside, along with additional surround elements, such as pipe groans. Party and dinner bustle is also appreciable. Low-end isn't challenged, save for some household repair noises and engine revving.

Made in Italy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes (13:25, HD) brings viewers to the final day of shooting on "Made in Italy," with director James D'Arcy taking a moment to discuss the production experience with Micheal Richardson and Liam Neeson, along with a secondary chat with Richardson and Valeria Bilello. Trying to capture the emotions of the moment, D'Arcy pushes his interviewees to share their feelings on the shoot and their characters. For Neeson (who's in a jokey mood, which is odd to see) and Richardson, the material's real-world ties to the death of Natasha Richardson are explored, with the pair reflecting on her life and magical presence on the set as the father and son collaborated onscreen for the first time.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:21, HD) is included.

Made in Italy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Made in Italy" reaches some bleak areas of memory and denial as it heads into its third act, with Jack admitting he's never properly mourned his mother's death, and Robert has his own bundle of unresolved issues, creating distance from his son and his passion for art. Italy isn't so much a destination as it is an escape for the characters, and D'Arcy explores these pained men, losing a bit of momentum as he teases some melodramatic extremes. Broader psychological purges aren't all that profound, but the essential feelings between father and son are clearly detailed, giving "Made in Italy" necessary warmth as it labors to avoid cliché and find a balance between Tuscan possibility and the pliability of the heart.