Review of Il Divo

Il Divo is based on the life of Giulio Andreotti, a Prime Minister of Italy, a corrupt but successful politician elected to Parliament seven times. Needless to say, he got away with everything he did. The movie throws names and faces and incidents at you like they were pies in a silent film. It’s almost impossible to keep it all straight (I talked to my best friend in Chicago who said that he had no trouble following it because he read all about Italian politics when these incidents were taking place—which hardly seems fair). But after awhile, one does finally let go and enjoy the roller coaster ride. Andreotti is played by Toni Servillo with stiff back posture reminiscent of the bad guys in The Triplets of Belleville (and one can’t help but think if anyone mentioned his hunched back, he’d parrot Marty Feldman of Young Frankenstein). Servillo was also in the blockbuster Gomorrah, which seems quite appropriate if dangerously serendipitous. The screenplay is by Paolo Sorrentino who also directs with tongue firmly planted in cheek. The seeming refusal to things seriously makes the whole thing a lot of fun and all the more serious, though the difficulty of following it robs it of the maximum emotional impact it might have had.