The Family Friend (2006)
"L'amico di famiglia" (original title)

Geremia, an aging tailor/money lender, is a repulsive, mean, stingy man who lives alone in his shabby house with his scornful, bedridden mother. He has a morbid, obsessive relationship with... See full summary »

Director:

Paolo Sorrentino

Writer:

Paolo Sorrentino

Stars:

Giacomo Rizzo, Alina Nedelea, Fabrizio Bentivoglio

11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Giacomo Rizzo	...	Geremia
Alina Nedelea	...	Belana
Fabrizio Bentivoglio	...	Gino
Luigi Angelillo	...	Saverio
Roberta Fiorentini	...	Madre di Rosalba
Fabio Grossi	...	Cognato di Saverio
Clara Bindi	...	Madre di Geremia
Luisa De Santis	...	Silvia
Barbara Scoppa	...	Tiziana Senatore
Valentina Lodovini	...	Donna debitrice
Simone Gualtieri	...	Marito donna
Lucia Ragni	...	Cassiera
Antonella Salvucci	...	Presentatrice
Geremia Longobardo	...	Giacomo
Laura Chiatti	...	Rosalba

Storyline

Geremia, an aging tailor/money lender, is a repulsive, mean, stingy man who lives alone in his shabby house with his scornful, bedridden mother. He has a morbid, obsessive relationship with money and he uses it to insinuate himself into other people's affairs, pretending to be the "family friend". One day he is asked by a man to lend him money for the wedding of Rosalba, his daughter. Geremia falls in love at first sight with the bewitching creature and and soon indulges in a "beauty and the beast" relationship...

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Plot Keywords:

money lender | box office flop | cowboy | female nudity | italy | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

10 November 2006 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Family Friend

Filming Locations:

Latina, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fandango, Indigo Film, Babe Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dedicated to Lorenzo and Tommaso.

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Quotes

Geremia De Geremei: Never confuse the improbable with the impossible.

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Soundtracks

"One with the Freaks"
Written and Performed by The Notwist

User Reviews

The good ones die young: that's why we have to be bad

L'amico di famiglia / Paolo Sorrentino (2006) A repulsive loan shark, as greedy and unpleasant as one can get, faces the consequences of love. Visually extremely beautiful, with a very cool soundtrack, great performances (Bentivoglio with a Venetian accent???) and a plot that grows minute after minute. I liked this film very much and I was so sad to read the other reviews on IMDb because it's obvious nobody understood it. You can say Sorrentino is Brothers Coen with a heart, to make it very simple: but to read people who still unearth poor old Fellini every time they watch an Italian film it's gut wrenching. Filmed in real location (Latina, Sabaudia and the so-called Agro Pontino were mostly built during Mussolini's dictatorship with the peculiar "fascist" style that make them so unpleasant and cinematic at the same time) and with mostly unknown actors Sorrentino takes his risk in the last part of the movie and doesn't really make it right, but it's a minor flaw that only the "Murder she wrote" fans can be disappointed by. There are some things in common with former Sorrentino's film "Le conseguenze dell'amore": a man who gave up his life (and his dignity) for the sake of money has to come to terms with the unwanted feelings of love (not simply love for a woman but love for a different life, a friend, beauty, freedom, himself). I recommend this film strongly as long as you're an open-minded person and you can get a good translation, if you're not Italian.