The Sleazy Uncle Movie Review

In 1963, Vittorio Gassman starred as Bruno Fortuna, a jerk who introduces a kid portrayed by Jean-Louis Trintingnant to The Easy Life. In spite of the fact that Bruno had virtually no redeeming qualities, he gave Roberto the kid the best time he ever had in his life, and with the charismatic Vittorio Gassman as his guide, the reasons why were abundantly clear. In 1989's The Sleazy Uncle, Gassman plays another lovable rogue, but Uncle Lucca, like all of Gassman's unique characters, is created out of whole cloth. Uncle Lucca, an obscure but genuine poet, is adored by a small group of devoted fans, but he drives his responsible nephew Ricardo crazy. Lucca lies, steals, and carries his medical history with him at all times to facilitate one-night stands. The exasperated Ricardo finally takes his old uncle to court, where Lucca wins everyone's sympathy by crying his eyes out. Since Lucca's history is truly reprehensible, no one but a great actor like Vittorio Gassman could carry off such a sequence, but get away with it, he does. He sits there and cries like a baby and it works. Giancarlo Giannini, an actor who usually steals every picture he's in, is a wonderful foil for his co-star, handing most of their moments together to Gassman on a platter. Franco Brusati's The Sleazy Uncle would make a memorable double bill on video along with Dino Risi's The Easy Life. An even more intriguing triple bill would include 1975's Scent of a Woman with Gassman originating the role that won Al Pacino the 1992 Oscar. This Italian classic, which won Gassman the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, is, alas, not yet released on video, so in the meanwhile don't miss Vittorio Gassman's tour-de-force performance in 1989's The Sleazy Uncle. AKA: Lo Zio Indegno.

1989 104m/C IT Giancarlo Giannini, Vittorio Gassman, Andrea Ferreol, Stefania Sandrelli; D: Franco Brusati; W: Franco Brusati, Leo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi; C: Romano Albani. VHS