Review of Tetro (2009) by Sandy J — 31 Jul 2009

Coppola's gorgeously shot homage to 50s/60s celebrated international imports--a touch of Fellini there, a trace of Antonioni here, stir the pot-- never quite emerges as a piece of contemporary cinema; whenever characters answered their cell phones, I was jarringly reminded that the setting was current day Argentina.

"Tetro" is more palatable as a personal experiment than the botched "Youth Without Youth," perhaps because of the sense of investiture FFC has in this portrait of a hypertalented family tormented by competition, vanity and baseless insecurity; if there's more than a trace of autobiography here, the Coppolas must have made the Corleones look like the Cosby family.

There's no Godfather-level cast here, but the ensemble is fine, decently anchored by Vincent Gallo and DiCaprio-lookalike Alden Ehrenreich and benefiting enormously by a typically spirited turn by Maribel Verdu (of "Y Tu Mama Tambien" and "Pan's Labyrinth" fame) in the somewhat thankless part as Gallo's overly patient lover.

Still, the film implodes in the late going, marred by putatively shocking twists and overwrought imagery; given the fleeting snippets of stage performances Coppola scatters about, one suspects he might be better off just filming an opera.