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Macaroni More at IMDbPro »Maccheroni (original title)

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11 reviews in total

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11 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Two pros in clover, 18 May 2005

Author: theowinthrop from United States

This film came and went too quickly in 1985, but I was fortunate enough to see it in a movie theater at the time, and later to get the video of it. Jack Lemmon is an American business executive on a business trip to Naples (where he was stationed in World War II). He is a crabby, middle aged man, who has financial success but has lost a sense of enjoyment in life. Reenter his old friend Marcello Mastroianni, whose sister was once dating Lemmon. Lemmon is at first suspicious and standoffish (he barely recalls Mastroianni) but his curiosity makes him take up Mastroianni again. The latter is a clerk in a bank, but he is a part-time actor and dramatist, and the center of a large family group. He also has had an odd habit of dying and being resurrected again, since childhood. Lemmon gradually finds his humanity being restored, and finding he wants to be re-involved with his old friend's family. The conclusion veers to tragedy, but the conclusion is very sweet. I recommend this film strongly, to people who wish to believe.

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11 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
It's beautiful to waste time!, 24 June 2005

Author: Federica Boldrini (federicaboldrini1984) from Roma, Italy

Tonight I had much to study and very little feeling for my books. I watched this film instead: I vaguely remembered it had a poor IMDb rating, but I decided to give it a chance anyway. I'm so glad I did! I found out a delightful bitter-sweet comedy, with some good laughs and a few touching moments as well. To be true the plot about the depressed American businessman who comes to Italy and discovers the enjoyment of life has been heard before and could seem sometimes predictable, but has its great moments; the score is rather charming too. Marcello and Jack are a magnificent paring. This film is vastly and wrongfully underrated. I can't believe it's only rated 6.1: it would deserve much more. I highly recommend it to anybody loves truly great artists like Lemmon and Mastroianni.

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7 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
What a couple!, 14 April 2002
Author: "OBE" from St Petersburg

Lemmon and Mastronianni...what can I say? This is an explosive mixture, one of the best European actors with one of the best American actors.... no comments. Both their roles are great and did not expect less. From the movie I was expecting a different ending although it was not disappointing it left me with the bitter taste. Good comic and drama mix of Scolla.

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7 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Maccheroni, 19 August 1999
Author: Tim Cox from Marietta, OH

Two incredible actors team up for this tender film about two World War II buddies who are reunited in modern day Naples only to find that Antonio (Mastroianni)has been forging letters to his sister from Robert (Lemmon) since the war ended. It was his way of helping her forget the American who left her behind. Worth viewing for the fantastic chemistry between both stars.

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6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
An underrated film, 19 May 2004

Author: Elgroovio from Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

Often referred to as a film which "nearly makes it" this somewhat cynical comedy is not as bad as everyone says it is in my opinion. Its two main actors, Jack Lemmon and Marcello Mastroiani, make a great pair, better (I think) than the pairing of Lemmon and Walter Matthau. It's quite a sweet little film really with a nice ending. Sometimes it is very depressingly funny, and sometimes it's just sad. The general idea behind the film is the idea of, in old age, going back to a happier past. It's not a gem, but it deserves at least some credit. But it is worth seeing if you get the chance. If you find you liked Mastroiani's performance, then I recommend that you see the Italian film "I Soliti Ignoti". Enjoy!

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6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
The Gold of Naples, 19 May 2003

Author: eva25at from Vienna, Austria

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

(Contains spoilers)

Robert Traven (Jack Lemmon) comes to Naples as consultant to Aeritalia. While the taxi drives him to his hotel he studies the city he has not seen since his time as G.I. Naples has changed. So has he. He draws the curtains and swallows his pills. His calendar is crammed. A p.r. officer is getting on his nerves and he puts on his sunglasses to shield himself against the world around. He is forced to watch Aeritalia's advertising films, but his main concern is: "Did you send the bottle to my room?".

Antonio Jasiello (Marcello Mastroianni) hurries upstairs, panting with pleasant anticipation. At last he will meet the man he still considers his best friend. He does not notice in his exuberance, that the man he smothers with kisses is morning-afterish and not very affable. Robert dismisses Antonio like a burdensome petitioner: "What can I do for you?". Antonio is taken aback: "Perhaps you could do something for yourself" he replies quietly.

Maria, Antonio's sister, was the sweetheart of Robert's youth and an old photography calls this happy time back to his mind. He visits the places of his memory. The visualization of Maria sitting in a churchyard casts a ray of sunshine on his embittered face. He calls on Antonio, and, to his dismay, the entire neighborhood seems to recognize him: "This must be Maria's fiance!". Antonio is leading a leisurely life in the archive of the bank of Naples. He is not resentful and the ice is melting fast. Robert forgets his V.I.P status (he has a car-phone) for a while and plays truant. He is going through a belligerent divorce and is eager to meet Maria, who, he is surprised to learn, is now a grandmother. A young woman greets him and he gives her a passionate kiss on the mouth. "I'm Virginia - Maria's daughter" the young woman sets him right. Maria appears, a grey-haired grandmother indeed, but the way she walks down the stairs is a moment out of a glittering Hollywood-film - adapted for the cramped space of a flat in Naples. He gives her a respectful kiss on the hand. The apartment is decorated like a sanctuary - with his photograph at the center. It turns out that Antonio, moved by the suffering of his sister after Robert departed, has written her letters under Robert's name for the past 40 years. And he made a daredevil superhero out of him! "Robert's" letters are exhibited before him, but Antonio comes to his help: "He has always avoided giving interviews for newspapers and television". Maria's husband reveals his jealousy...

Italian nights can be delirious. The street-lightening outshines the stars in the sky...By this time Robert takes great interest in Antonio's personality. His generosity and enthusiasm are infectious. Antonio introduces Robert to his mother who predicts that his job is threatened. They make an excursion to the beach and enjoy the sunset. Later, Robert has to deal with the p.r. woman who makes a drunken pass at him in the pouring rain, but Antonio saves the evening when he stars in a self-written play and delivers a hilarious parody of his younger self. Robert, on the other hand impresses him with his piano-playing (Lemmon was an accomplished pianist). Under the influence of wine and the intoxicating mediterranean atmosphere Robert curses the vanity of his existence: "I bought a dozen postcards to send to friends. I can't think of any".

Many critics were sceptical: Can dolce far niente in a maffia-infested city heal the taedium vitae of the american businessman? But Lemmon's woebegone appearance and Mastroianni's mental balance seem to indicate that the fountain of youth springs indeed from Italy. The film is short of plot (the maffia-related dramatic climax is depressing) but the performances are authentic and deeply felt, and you can always enjoy the lovely scenery and the seductive score. When director Ettore Scola opens his magic trick pack, some of his tricks are, trust me, truly bewitching...

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5 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Pasta Anyone?, 8 February 2006

Author: stannotuttibene from United States

Pasta, as the staple food of all Italian households, serves as the symbol of that which sustains us physically. And life long relationships is what defines each and every one of us. In this respect, watching Mastroianni as Antonio and Lemmon as Robert is like watching two master painters at work creating a human landscape spanning decades.

In Antonio, Mastroianni reveals a man of integrity, caring, love and a sense of what makes us all human. Juxtaposed in Robert, Lemmon initially shows us a tired, bitter and disconnected man who no longer sees the real beauty in life. One cannot find two more opposite men at their respective stages in life. But it is here that the audience enters into their world or re-discovery.

As always, Jack Lemmon inhabits the soul of his character (Robert) while portraying the angst felt by a man in deep internal turmoil. But being the great actor Lemmon always displayed, he does not leave us with this one dimensional view of Robert. Rather Lemmon takes us, as the film progresses, on a journey into his re-discovery of a time in his life when happiness was real, taken for granted and lost. And in that realization, Lemmon gives us the real bitterness of his character. Having once loved Antonio's sister during his days in the Army while stationed in Italy, Robert knew, perhaps for the only time in his life, real joy and kinship with others.

Mastroianni gives a masterful performance of a dedicated bank employee who while he is not rich monetarily is rich in the knowledge of the love and respect he enjoys from family and friends. When Robert returns to Italy on a business trip in the present day, Antonio becomes overjoyed with the thought of rekindling the friendship he once shared with Robert. Mastroianni plays, with youthful enthusiasm, his excitement in seeing his 'old friend' Robert again. Antonio, in his simple way, has never lost sight of the true wealth of life. It is in this simplicity that Robert finds, at first, exasperation and then regret.

But watching these two masters of cinema go to work with their characters is liking watching a sculptor taking a lump of stone and turning it into a recognizable form. Lemmon and Mastroianni take the basis of their characters and give a master class in blending the two diverse characters. It is in this blending that both Antonio and Robert learn the real lesson in life - people's lives may change but their core does not. In the end, Antonio is aided by Robert who understands the importance of taking swift action to save Antonio's son who has gotten involved with some unsavory characters. Antonio comes to realize that his friend never stopped caring for him, he was just side tracked by his life in America. For Robert, he has once again felt that exhilaration that we can all know if we allow ourselves. And that is the exhilaration of unconditional, ever present love by friends and family which is the basis of all human relationships.

The final scene of the film is very fitting as we see Robert and Antonio's family sitting at the family dinner table being served pasta. The two staples of life are joined here just as Robert and Antonio were once again.

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4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
See Naples and Die, 12 March 2006

Author: AvidBowler from United States

I lived in Naples at the time and those Americans who did loved this movie. There were many inside jokes that you could only know about if living or have lived in Italy. However, my sister saw it having never been in Naples and thought it was both touching and Naples. The people and and the city is really like it. Jack Lemmon doesn't play his typical character but plays straight man to the city and the people of Naples and seeing his reaction to this strange world of people and back alleys is hilarious. The movie reminds me a little of an Neopolitan version of the movie Cannery Row but much more funnier. Most Americans hate Naples until after a few months living there an then love it. The movie captures that spirit. Well worth seeing especially if you ever want to visit bella Napoli. I agree with the previous comment that the movie came and went all too fast...a sleeper.

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Maccheroni (Macaroni) :Review # 10!, 6 January 2009

Author: happipuppi13 from Phx. Arizona ("Arizona Smells Funny"!- Homer Simpson)

I recently came across a copy of this film on a very old VHS/rental copy,which I bought at Goodwill. #1.99. It's age of course made it jumpy in some scenes but otherwise it looked picture perfect in terms of color.

The movie itself is a wonderful discovery and like most films I'd never heard of,it turned out to be totally worth the time invested to watch it.

The set up is simple but the idea of a man consoling his sister for 40 years in getting over the departure of her WW 2 romance is priceless.

Lemmon's character,due to the exaggerated letters written with his name signed to them,has become a legendary figure in Naples. So upon his return visit he's astounded how everyone seems to know him,despite never meeting him,before.

The overall story is a series of what seem like unrelated events but they seem to fit the story well. Also,upon first viewing it seems like this is a lost 1970s Jack Lemmon movie but was made in 1985 actually. The old look of Naples may be the cause of that because i searched the box looking for the date of release.

Overall,I found it not wildly funny but funny in a more dry humored, offbeat and even surreal sense. Surreal because I doubt any of the odder things that happen here could happen for real. Which is the key ingredient in making this enjoyable,as well as it's two big name stars.

10 out of 10! Voila! (END)

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3 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
hysterical however predictable, 8 May 2002
Author: RaquelitaP from st. pete, fla

Macaroni follows the renewal of friendship bewtween two men who have not seen each other since WWII. The only not-so-good part of the movie is that it is very predictable. It is never too hard to guess what will happen next. Some may enjoy these types of film however I would rather be challenged!

The wonderful part of this film is the pairing of Lemmon and Mastroianni. They are wonderful together. I have not laughed this hard watching a movie in a long time. Trust me, you will be rolling on the floor. But it is not all fun and games, there is a serious message. Watch it and find out!

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