As expected, the beautiful views of the Tuscan landscape are my favourite thing about Liam Neeson’s latest comedy, Made in Italy. It’s just unfortunate that I didn’t find much else to love in writer/director James D’Arcy’s story, besides the views.

I should have been prepared for Made in Italy to be less funny and more focused on grief. Especially since the plot has Neeson playing a father, accompanied by his estranged son (Micheál Richardson), while on a trip to Italy to sell a house he inherited from his late wife.

I had certain hopes and expectations about how charming Made in Italy was going to be. Not only did I find the movie inadequately charming, I didn’t find it as funny as its comedy categorisation would suggest.

Furthermore, Richardson’s character Jack’s emotional journey development felt oddly inauthentic and ill-timed in parts. Things did get a bit better when Neeson’s character became emotional at around the one-hour, ten-minute mark. However, by that point, I’d largely given up on any hopes of D’Arcy’s film redeeming itself and suddenly becoming less annoyingly predictable and charming enough for me to forgive its earlier shortcomings.

Watch Made in Italy, only if you’re extremely curious.

Happy Film Loving,

G