The Etruscan Smile (2018)

Rory MacNeil, a rugged old Scotsman travels to San Franciso to seek medical treatment where he moves in with his estranged son, Rory as he sees his life getting transformed through a newly found bond with his baby grandson.

Directors:

Oded Binnun, Mihal Brezis

Writers:

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

Stars:

Thora Birch, Rosanna Arquette, Brian Cox

7 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Thora Birch	...	Emily
Rosanna Arquette	...	Claudia
Brian Cox	...	Rory MacNeil
Tim Matheson	...	Weiss
JJ Feild	...	Ian
Peter Coyote	...	Professor
Treat Williams	...	Frank Barron
Josh Stamberg	...	Jeff
Steven Wiig	...	Shoe Store Dad
Vanessa Ross	...	Gala Debutante
Teresa Navarro	...	Pretty Girl at Gala
Sandra Santiago	...	Frida
Anthony Snow	...	TV Cameraman
Jeanne Young	...	Upscale Party Guest
Juliana Long Tyson	...	Museum Thief

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

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$130,256

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arthur Cohn Productions, Po Valley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 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.