There are a large number of characters moving in and out of the story brought to the screen, and directed by Federico Moccia. Having been given the DVD as a gift, we tried to watch it a few times, but could not get into it. Finally, we decided to persevere, basically on the strength of Raoul Bova's performance, and it turned out to be a mildly pleasant experience, although one wonders what made it such a hit when it first made it commercial debut in Italy.
The idea of a May-December romance is not exactly new to the movies. In fact, Hollywood is notorious for pairing its aging male stars with younger, luscious newcomers to some excellent results. "Sabrina", "Love in the Afternoon", "Gigi", "Funny Face", just to mention a few, as well as other films, exploited the possibility of an older man falling for women that could well be their daughters. Never quite understood the allure for the mismatched couples other that the aging male stars needed vehicles in which to show they were still desirable and could perform in bed. Of course the comparison is a bit extreme because in this film, even with the age difference, Alessandro and Niki make a nice couple to look at.
Mr. Moccia's story centers around an advertising executive, Alessandro Belli, being dumped by his live in companion, Elena. Confused about being left alone, he avoids the idea of falling in love again. A traffic accident involving Niki, a teen ager in a motorcycle, serves as the excuse to have them meet. Alessandro is aware of the attraction, but he fights it. For Niki, obviously the older man presents no problem. Niki, a liberal minded young woman, has no problem seducing the reluctant Alessandro, in spite of the twenty year age difference.
The comedy is mildly amusing. Mr. Moccia manages to keep things moving around at a good pace. The only question in our mind is how permissive the parents of Niki can be. The new generations of youngsters, all over the world, seem to be able to do what they want, if one is to believe the way the parents of Niki are so self involved in themselves, not to notice how their daughter's affair with the older Alessandro is not exactly what they wanted for her.
Raoul Bova is an accomplished comedy actor and his presence is always welcome. Michela Quattrociocche is a beautiful newcomer to the Italian cinema. Both were reunited by the director in another film we have not seen, but it might be a sequel, based on the popularity of this film in its native land.
The idea of a May-December romance is not exactly new to the movies. In fact, Hollywood is notorious for pairing its aging male stars with younger, luscious newcomers to some excellent results. "Sabrina", "Love in the Afternoon", "Gigi", "Funny Face", just to mention a few, as well as other films, exploited the possibility of an older man falling for women that could well be their daughters. Never quite understood the allure for the mismatched couples other that the aging male stars needed vehicles in which to show they were still desirable and could perform in bed. Of course the comparison is a bit extreme because in this film, even with the age difference, Alessandro and Niki make a nice couple to look at.
Mr. Moccia's story centers around an advertising executive, Alessandro Belli, being dumped by his live in companion, Elena. Confused about being left alone, he avoids the idea of falling in love again. A traffic accident involving Niki, a teen ager in a motorcycle, serves as the excuse to have them meet. Alessandro is aware of the attraction, but he fights it. For Niki, obviously the older man presents no problem. Niki, a liberal minded young woman, has no problem seducing the reluctant Alessandro, in spite of the twenty year age difference.
The comedy is mildly amusing. Mr. Moccia manages to keep things moving around at a good pace. The only question in our mind is how permissive the parents of Niki can be. The new generations of youngsters, all over the world, seem to be able to do what they want, if one is to believe the way the parents of Niki are so self involved in themselves, not to notice how their daughter's affair with the older Alessandro is not exactly what they wanted for her.
Raoul Bova is an accomplished comedy actor and his presence is always welcome. Michela Quattrociocche is a beautiful newcomer to the Italian cinema. Both were reunited by the director in another film we have not seen, but it might be a sequel, based on the popularity of this film in its native land.