Review of Call Me by Your Name (2017) by Paul M — 23 Dec 2017

There is much to admire in this film, especially the breakthrough lead performance by Timothée Chalamet. And northern Italy looks beautiful. But this is a very slow film where very little happens. Although the screenwriter is legendary Merchant Ivory director James Ivory (now nearly 90) and there is a bit of a Merchant Ivory feel to the production, there is none of the magic of "Remains of the Day," "A Room with a View," or "Howards End" - all of which were based on rich novels.

Too much of the dialogue in "Call Me by Your Name" is clunky, a disproportionate amount of it falling to a wooden Armie Hammer. And director Luca Guadagnino seems more interested in setting a mood than in telling a story.

Finally, there's the issue of the lead character being only 17, played by an actor (Chalamet) who looks like he could be younger (though he was actually 20 when the movie was made). And the age of Hammer's character is never stated, though Hammer was pushing 30 during production and he looks a few years older.

That makes this love story a little uncomfortable. Guadagnino wasn't smart enough to address that issue, or to trim 20 minutes from the film's 130-minute running time. (A scene where Chalamet and Hammer stop to get a drink of water from an old lady is one of many completely unnecessary scenes.

) I would love to give "Call Me by Your Name" an unqualified rave. But too much of it felt like watching grass grow. It's a beautiful lawn, but still.