Fans of Little Miss Sunshine will love the setup of this entertaining Christmas-themed sequel to 10 Days Without Mamma, the 2019 Italian Film Festival hit.
The Rovelli family are back with husband Carlo (Fabio De Luigi) and wife, Giulia (Valentina Lodovini). Both are grappling with the division of their respective tasks within the family – juggling the kids and their schedules so that Carlo can attend a job interview. And headstrong children they are – the eldest Camilla (Angelica Elli) is a teenager going on young adult who bucks the authority of her parents at any opportunity; then, there’s Tito (Matteo Castellucci) who has some questionable radical views for such a young age, and rounding out the trio is Bianca (Bianca Usai) – too young and carefree to be influenced by anyone else.
Since Giulia has started working again, it is Carlo who takes care of the children and the household chores. It is a cause of continual friction between the pair as Guilia spends more and more evenings at work, rather than at home. When she reveals that she is up for a promotion that involves a move to Sweden, it sends Carlo into overdrive, literally. Storming out of the house and missing for hours, he reappears outside the front of their house, standing beside the couple’s long-abandoned motor home. To the chagrin of everyone, Carlo announces that if Guilia can’t be with them at Christmas, then the whole family will take to the road and drive to Stockholm.
It’s a comical setup – from reacquainting himself with how to drive the vehicle, navigating freeways without maps or phone signals, out running those who Tito has unsuspectingly insulted through to a hilarious encounter with a self-styled Santa Claus (Diego Abatantuono).
You won’t be surprised by the character arcs of parents and children, husband and wife. All the performances are pitch perfect and each of the character’s idiosyncrasies cleverly combined for high entertainment value.
When Mum Is Away .. With The Family has its Australian premiere at the 2021 Italian Film Festival at participating Palace Cinemas and is now showing. Check your local guides for screening times.
About When Mum Is Away … With The Family
Duration: 100 min
Genre: Comedy, Family
Language: Italian with English subtitles
Directed by Alessandro Genovesi
Stars Fabio De Luigi, Valentina Lodovini, Diego Abatantuono, Angelica Elli
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