IMDb plot summary: Jep Gambardella has seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades, but after his 65th birthday and a shock from the past, Jep looks past the nightclubs and parties to find a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.
Directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Starring Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, and Sabrina Ferilli.
The Great Beauty is an Italian movie following a journalist in his 60s as he wanders around Rome with his friends, looking for creative inspiration. This is more art meditation than narrative, focusing heavily on the use of music and cinematography to create moody spaces to ponder beauty. And I would love to say that it worked for me, but in actuality I was SO. INCREDIBLY. BORED. I'm not creatively captured by any of the visual or musical choices, and I could not care less about this cranky old man wandering around moping about not writing a book. Granted, that's the least generous way I could phrase it, but it's closest to how the movie made me feel. I remember thinking, "That's a very nice shot," a few times while watchng it, but none of the ensuing shots stuck with me long enough to actually remember them, and everything feels so static. If I'm going to immerse myself in this kind of art appreciation, I'd rather do it by going to an art museum with a great Spotify playlist and experience it more spatially rather than spending 2 1/2 hours watching it unfold on a screen in front of me. This was critically acclaimed, so I admit I may be in the minority on this one. It just did absolutely nothing for me.
How it entered my Flickchart:
The Great Beauty < Captain Phillips
The Great Beauty < Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The Great Beauty < Mission to Mars
The Great Beauty > Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
The Great Beauty < The Story of the Weeping Camel
The Great Beauty > Get Carter
The Great Beauty > Metal Tornado
The Great Beauty > Courageous
The Great Beauty > 8 1/2
The Great Beauty < The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
The Great Beauty > Wimbledon
Final spot: #3513 out of 3870, or 9%.
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