With a phenomenal cast and the scenery of Italy, "My House in Umbria" captures the imagination before one even sits down to watch it. Based on a small masterpiece by William Trevor and starring Maggie Smith, the film potentially could have been a major triumph of adaptation for HBO pictures, who have lately been trailing behind Showtime in the world of quality in-house movies. Unfortunately, HBO took a great book, a wonderful cast, and the single most incredible screen debut by a child-actor since Tatum O'Neill in "Paper Moon", and decimated it on the rocks of a bad script.
Maggie Smith, by every measure the powerhouse of the film, shines in the first half of the film. But by the time the make-shift family the survivors have formed is interrupted by the appearance of Amy's uncle, Tom Riversmith (Chris Cooper), I suspect many of the film's audience will have flipped the channel, which is sad, considering that those who flip channels will miss the muted, yet gifted, performance of Carlo Gianinni.
The standout performance of the film, and about the only thing that makes this movie worth watching, is the performance of Emmy Clarke, a newcomer to films and entertainment. As the 10 year-old Amy, Clarke breathes life into a role and manages to salvage the character that, in the adaptation from novel to screen was all but eliminated. She manages to shine through with a grace and maturity that the part requires.
All in all, a miserable failure with a few high points that make it worth watching once. A much better idea than spending the two hours watching this movie would to be look up all the actors' pictures on the web, then buy the book and and read it picturing them in mind.
Maggie Smith, by every measure the powerhouse of the film, shines in the first half of the film. But by the time the make-shift family the survivors have formed is interrupted by the appearance of Amy's uncle, Tom Riversmith (Chris Cooper), I suspect many of the film's audience will have flipped the channel, which is sad, considering that those who flip channels will miss the muted, yet gifted, performance of Carlo Gianinni.
The standout performance of the film, and about the only thing that makes this movie worth watching, is the performance of Emmy Clarke, a newcomer to films and entertainment. As the 10 year-old Amy, Clarke breathes life into a role and manages to salvage the character that, in the adaptation from novel to screen was all but eliminated. She manages to shine through with a grace and maturity that the part requires.
All in all, a miserable failure with a few high points that make it worth watching once. A much better idea than spending the two hours watching this movie would to be look up all the actors' pictures on the web, then buy the book and and read it picturing them in mind.