Family dinners don't always go so well in LOOSE CANNONS
LOOSE CANNONS (MINE VAGANTI) (Ferzan Ozpetek, 2010)
Wednesday, April 28, Village East, 181 Second Ave. at 12th St., 6:00
Saturday, May 1, Village East, 181 Second Ave. at 12th St., 8:30
www.tribecafilm.com
Turkish-born Italian director Ferzan Ozpetek’s latest foray into family drama might be somewhat slighter than such earlier triumphs as HAMAM and LE FATE IGNORANTI, but this examination of a dysfunctional group of relatives in Lecce is still plenty of fun. Riccardo Scamarcio, looking like a young, brooding Ray Liotta, stars as Tommaso, a gay man who is ready to come out during a big dinner celebrating the expansion of the family pasta-making business, but his older brother, Antonio (Alessandro Preziosi), steals his thunder by coming out first, shocking everyone and giving their father, Vincenzo (Ennio Fantastichini), a heart attack. Antonio is kicked out, leaving Tomasso to take over his role in the factory when what he really wants is to return to Rome to be a writer and live with his lover, Marco (Carmine Recano). But as he works with the gorgeous but dangerous Alba (Nicole Grimaudo), he learns about responsibility, among a few other surprising things. Meanwhile, his grandmother (Ilaria Occhini) agonizes over a long-lost love, his quirky aunt, Luciana (Elena Sofia Ricci), searches for a husband, and his mother, Stefania (Lunetta Savino), continues to boss around the very dour maid, Teresa (Paola Minaccioni). LOOSE CANNONS feels a little too old-fashioned, and the plot takes too many sitcom-like twists, but there is real heat between Scamarcio and Grimaudo, and the story is told with such charm and good humor that it overcomes some of the more confusing aspects of its meta-narrative.