Review of Avanti (2012) by Ali J — 10 Apr 2011

Wendell Armbruster Jr (Jack Lemmon) fancies himself a hard headed business man who can thwart any obstacle - until he has to contend with Italian beauracracy and the flighty daughter of his father's mistress, Pamela Pigott (Juliet Mills). Directed by Billy Wilder and based on the stage play of the same name, 1972's Avanti! follows Wendell as he travels to the island of Ischia because his father has been killed in a car accident. Upon arrival he meets Pamela, whose mother had been having an affair with Wendell's father every summer for the past ten years.

There is nothing funnier than Jack Lemmon playing indignant and he does it a lot in Avanti! Indignant that his life has been interrupted, indignant that he cannot quickly work through red tape to get his father's body released, indignant that his father was having an affair, and indignant that he has to deal with Pamela whose dingy personality flies in the face of every modern convention he holds so dear. But after a few short days Wendell's fish out of water character starts to see that life really doesn't have to be so annoying and the release he starts to experience is contagious to the audience.

Filmed on location in Italy and with a superb but small supporting cast including Clive Reville as hotel manager Carlo Calucci, Avanti! runs a bit too long but atones for that with snappy dialogue, beautiful scenery, and a refreshing story that is sure to please.