The Etruscan Smile (2018)

The Etruscan Smile stars acclaimed British actor Brian Cox as Rory MacNeil, a rugged old Scotsman who reluctantly leaves his beloved isolated Hebridean island and travels to San Francisco ... See full summary »

Directors:

Oded Binnun, Mihal Brezis

Writers:

Michael McGowan (screenplay), Michal Lali Kagan (screenplay)

Stars:

Brian Cox, Thora Birch, Rosanna Arquette

6 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Brian Cox	...	Rory MacNeil
Thora Birch	...	Emily
Rosanna Arquette	...	Claudia
JJ Feild	...	Ian
Tim Matheson	...	Weiss
Peter Coyote	...	Professor
Treat Williams	...	Frank Barron
Josh Stamberg	...	Jeff
Vanessa Ross	...	Gala Debutante
Teresa Navarro	...	Pretty Girl at Gala
Gail Gamble	...	San Francisco Power Elite
Anthony Snow	...	TV Cameraman
Ramsey Hanchette	...	The Mermaid
Rose Wise	...	Museum Patron
Sandra Dee Richardson	...	Power Elite (as Sandra Dee)

Storyline

The Etruscan Smile stars acclaimed British actor Brian Cox as Rory MacNeil, a rugged old Scotsman who reluctantly leaves his beloved isolated Hebridean island and travels to San Francisco to seek medical treatment. Moving in with his estranged son, Rory sees his life transformed through a newly found bond with his baby grandson.

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Plot Keywords:

terminal illness | whiskey drinking | hip flask | scotsman abroad | scotsman in usa | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Scottish Gaelic

Release Date:

12 April 2018 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Das etruskische Lächeln

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arthur Cohn Productions, Po Valley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The museum interiors were shot in the Historic San Francisco City Hall.

User Reviews

Great Story Well Told

We saw this at the Palm Springs Film Festival in Jan. 2019. Our question after seeing a movie is always "Could this can been improved?" In this case, the answer is a firm "No." It's pretty much perfect within the bounds of what it set out to do. It tells a realistic story in a straightforward way (no time shifting! Hurray!). It held our attention throughout--no looking at watches. It's pretty much Brian Cox's movie since he is in every scene, and he does a great job. He had to learn Gaelic to play the part, and as far as I can see did a fantastic job.

Is it a comedy or a drama? Both. Certainly the comedic angle is almost always there, but there are touches (esp. the scenes with Rosanna Arquette) where it gets fairly serious and has a serious message. But it never hits you over the head with sentimentality or its "message." The director seems to have found a perfect middle ground. This seems to be getting rarer, so congratulations are in order.

Finally, it reminded me of a 2016 Finnish movie, "The Grump," which also featured a older man who lived in the countryside who visits his son in the big city (Helsinki, in this case). He is technologically inept, leading to several hilarious scenes, and he interferes in his daughter-in-law's business. It was more of a pure comedy than "Etruscan Smile." Curiously, neither Brian Cox nor the director were aware of the Finnish movie.