Matialth
Good concept, poorly executed.
Arianna Moses
Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
Deanna
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
mark.waltz
When you're going up against the likes of Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Lily Tomlin, Joan Plowright and Cher, you've got a lot to stand up against. Even the men of Mussolini's fascist Italy find this out as they try to toss the English out on their ear and find that, like France's Madame DeFarge did with England's Miss Pross, that "I am an English woman! I am your match!".It all begins in peacetime as a British ambassador's widow (Smith) holds court while subtle hints of fascism are rising around them. The snooty dowager has no place at her society teas for Cher, but she's going to have to change her mind as the world begins to crash around them and the British society she has known refuses to stand up and leave even though their lives are at stake. More gentle are Ms. Dench and Ms. Plowright, artistic types who take interest in a young orphan, a "bastard" not wanted by his biological father, and publicly humiliated by the father's wife. Cher, a friend of his mother's, arranges for him to get a trust fund, and after his father sends him off to Germany for a fascist education, the English women return to their lives as they prepare to fight their own battle with Mussolini. Dame Maggie is the one of the group who has "Tea With Mussolini", promised peace and protection by him, a promise he surely won't keep.The episodic feel of the film shows up as the years flash by on screen, and the boy returns as a young man with the intentions of helping the women survive their imprisonment in an abandoned Italian castle. He discovers that Cher has been betrayed by her lover, and with the help of Smith's grandson (whom she has been disguising in women's clothes for years), arranges to help Cher escape. A lot happens in two hours, but with these divas, it speeds by, especially with Smith's dry sarcasm, Dench and Plowright's warmth, Tomlin's masculine energy, and Cher's "Auntie Mame" like diva. Cher is the only one who seems (only slightly) out of her comfort zone. Period pieces don't seem to suit her, and when she breaks into a chorus of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", it seems like a moment of desperation.In spite of all that, this is a very likable film, and there are some light-hearted moments included inside one of the most tragic times in our recent history where freedom was threatened on every level. Thanks to a fast-paced direction and lavish sets and beautiful countrysides, "Tea With Mussolini" is a winning drama that might not be perfect but one that its audience will find things to admire. In the end, this is more about the women who really have nothing at all in common but the need to survive and the realization that they cannot do it alone.
TheLittleSongbird
Tea with Mussolini is a beautiful and strongly acted film, with the talented Franco Zeffirelli turning the camera onto his own life. The film drags slightly and some of the drama turns into a series of anecdotes. However, it looks gorgeous with the rich settings, lavish costumes and stunning cinematography, while the score is beautiful. The script is sophisticated and well written, and the direction is excellent. And then we are treated to really strong performances from Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith, Lily Tomlin and Cher. So overall, while I wouldn't consider it perfect, it is beautiful and worthwhile. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Billyjhobbs-1
That Franco Zeffirelli is a genius when it comes to directing films is a given. In "Tea with Mussolini," not only does he present his genius at directing, but he manages to use a score of what must have been a maven of egos with the assembled cast. Apparently he's good at this as well. This ensemble of actors would make ANY film worth seeing. Set in Italy (primarily in Florence), this "bio-pic" captures the eternal beauty of the country yet at the same time presents the macabre, the unacceptable, the dis-ingenuousness of the political system (Mussolini--what more needs to be said in terms of relegating him to "ogre" status, the little creep!).It is 1935 when we meet "the ladies" (the Scorpioni, they're called, "because they bit," Lily Tomlin says. A group of ex-patriot English women (and two Americans) are living "la dolce vita" in la belle Italia and then the war comes along. Zeffirelli's portrayal of the times, the scene, the inter-dynamics make this a movie that is one not to miss.
Jackson Booth-Millard
I remember seeing this film once before when I was in college, but I obviously did not acknowledge it properly, I remembered nothing but some of the cast members, so I decided to watch it again, from director Franco Zeffirelli (The Taming of the Shrew). Basically this is a semi-autobiographical tale based on the early experiences of director Zeffirelli, seeing the life of an Italian businessman's son. Luca (Charlie Lucas) grows up raised by Englishwoman Mary Wallace (Joan Plowright) after his mother dies, and they are living in Fascist Italy in Florence on the eve of World War II, along with other Englishwomen living sheltered in the country. These other women include Lady Hester Random (Dame Maggie Smith) and Arabella (Dame Judi Dench) who are hoping for assured protection after a tea reception with Mussolini (Claudio Spadaro), but the war breaks out and this does not happen. Luca (Baird Wallace) grows up, and occasionally visiting the women in the English colony is American wealthy socialite Elsa Morganthal Strauss-Armistan (Cher), and when they are low on luck and stuck in a bad living environment she secretly pays for their stay in a hotel. Lady Random, the ambassador's widow, dislikes Elsa, but she is part of the story too when America enters the war two years later, and there is some plot about signing over for modern art or something, and Georgie Rockwell (Lily Tomlin) gets involved too. Okay, I will be honest I did not understand much of the plot at all. Also starring Massimo Ghini as Paolo. I did enjoy the performances of likable Plowright, posh Smith, eccentric Dench and smiley Cher, and the story of the boy trying to get somewhere was fine, but as I did not understanding pretty much anything going on it was near impossible to give it a real opinion, and I doubt if I watch it again it would be any different, but it was a pleasant enough period comedy drama. It was nominated the BAFTA for Best Costume Design. Okay!
