Review of The Great Beauty (2013) by Ray H — 15 Mar 2014

This film reminded me of the television series, SEINFELD. From start to finish, the movie is ostensibly a story about nothing. Although some aspects of the story were interesting; in the final analysis, the film is about an aging man who has lived most of his life dissolutely.

Our hero is a socially well connected man, named Jep. He wrote one wildly successful novel in his twenties. He has spent the rest of life giving and attending parties, virtually every nite of the week. He lives very well; maybe off the proceeds of that first novel. Jep lives in Rome. He seems to know almost everyone in the city. He gets up late in the day. He goes out for the evening and stays out until dawn. He follows this pattern; day after day, after day.

He has a small coterie of friends he frequently spends time with. They all seem to be similarly situated, financially and socially. The story follows Jep from place to place. We see some very special items and places of artistic or cultural significance and ... beauty. Rome looks very appealing here.

Not much of consequence happens during the story. There is a strong sense of overweening emptiness in our characters' lives. And, so it goes until the end.

The film looks good. There is some social activity to contemplate. But, nothing profound is directly examined or commented upon.

This was a mildly interesting flic.