MID-AUGUST DINNER+MOVIE COMBO w/ LA DOLCE VITA - WED-THU AUGUST 18-19
To coincide with this month's screenings of the new award-winning Italian film MID-AUGUST LUNCH, La Dolce Vita Italian Restaurant presents a special pre-fixe dinner menu that recreates the holiday meal presented in the film:
- Pasticcio di Maccheroni - maccheroni baked with mortadella, mozzarella, tomato and parmigiano cheese
- Sformato di Merluzzo - baked cod fish with potatoes, rosemary and extra virgin olive oil
- Torta di Frutta Stagionale - seasonal fruit tart
MOVIE ADMISSION: $9 - PURCHASE AT CINE DINNER ADMISSION: $26 - PURCHASE AT LA DOLCE VITA RESTAURANT [ 323 E. BROAD STREET DOWNTOWN - FOR DINNER RESERVATION TIMES CALL 706 353 3911 ]
SYNOPSIS:
The charismatic Gianni Di Gregorio (co-scenarist of the smash hit Gomorrah), stars in his directorial debut MID-AUGUST LUNCH — an utterly charming tale of good food, feisty ladies and unlikely friendships during a very Roman holiday. Broke, and armed with only a glass of wine and a wry sense of humor, middle-aged Gianni resides with his 93-year-old mother in their ancient apartment. The condo debts are mounting, but if Gianni looks after the building manager’s mother during the Pranzo di Ferragosto (Italy’s biggest summer holiday, and the Feast of the Assumption), all will be forgiven. Then the manager also shows up with an auntie, and then a doctor friend appears with his mother in tow... Can Gianni keep four such lively mamas well fed and happy in these cramped quarters?
Winner of numerous prizes at international festivals, including Best First Film at Venice and the Satyajit Ray Award at London, plus the Golden Snail at the Academy of Food and Film in Bologna, the film is both a warmly vibrant family drama and a delicately balanced comedy of manners.
REVIEW:
From its first minutes, MID-AUGUST LUNCH establishes a special tone and quality that could only be Italian. It's a mixture of warmth and gentle farce, tender observation and absurdity.
A man who appears to be in his late 50s cares for his very elderly mother, and it's clear from the first minutes that he's an exemplary son but also something of a likable good-for-nothing when it comes to paying bills and making a living. In a similar way, the old ladies who become the focus of the film are comically idiosyncratic, and yet you'd have trouble finding another movie with such unforced appreciation of its elderly characters or such intelligent understanding of old age.
In Italy, this film is called "Pranzo di ferragosto," a title that doesn't quite translate into English, any more than "Fourth of July Barbecue" would translate into Italian. Ferragosto is a huge Italian holiday (Aug. 15), which has been celebrated since the time of Augustus Caesar. Businesses shut down, and everyone goes away to the countryside or to the beach.
But Gianni (Di Gregorio), who owes money to everybody, is stuck in Rome with his mother (Valeria De Franciscis) for the holiday. And because he's in no position to say no, he agrees to watch the property manager's mother, Marina (Marina Cacciotti), for the weekend, and Marina brings Aunt Maria (Maria Cali) with her. Later, Gianni's doctor barters a house call in exchange for letting his mother, Grazia (Grazia Cesarini Sforza), stay at the condo. So Gianni finds himself caring for four women, each a strong personality with particular needs.
Lurking underneath the surface of MID-AUGUST LUNCH is a touch of sadness that these vivid ladies are getting dumped by their families. Yet this is submerged by the ways in which the women overcome personality differences to forge their own relationships and make their own celebration. Watching them, you'd think they were experienced farceurs, and yet this is the first time any of them have appeared onscreen.
There's a lot going on in this little gem. There are observations about Italian men and their mothers, about the comic ironies of life and about the needs of old age - all of it filtered through a warm, humane consciousness.san francisco chronicle
