Reviews

Having watched other films by Paolo Sorrentino, I was expecting the same refined film-making plus the usual original subject and convincing acting. While the last is certainly present in L'uomo in più (thank mostly to Toni Servillo), I found the whole plot quite disappointing and a rather standard cinematography. Additionally, a few characters are roughly sketched: they are presented during the plot but disappear a few scenes later. Add a general lack of rhythm and a banal intertwining between football and music, full of clichés (the bad manager surrounded by naked girls, the old football manager training youngster near the motorway, just to name a few) and you have a movie that is both too short and too slow at the same time. Watch the other titles by Sorrentino, they're by far better than this.

I am Italian and remember having watched this "movie" on TV a year or two after its supposed release. I say "supposed", because - though it was filmed in 35mm - this movie never went into cinemas (if you have seen it, you can imagine why...) It is simply unwatchable, far beyond any reasonable z-movie style. Jerry Calà is a comic actor, who in his beginnings played in a rather experimental comic group (I gatti di vicolo Miracoli). After that, he collected a series of blockbusters repeating more and more his down-to-earth jokes (mainly based on puns associated with advertisement and idioms), together with other comic actors and the current Italian "playmates". With this film I think he tried to re-create such a mixture, but failed in improvising himself as a director...

Don't waste time: do not watch this movie.