7/10
A good comedy romance set in scenic pastoral Italy
28 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Come September" is a light comedy and romance that mixes two movie generations. The one, with Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida, were stars for the baby boomer generation in its teens (1950s-1960s). The other, with Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee, represented those teens. Although, when this film was made, Darin and Dee were married (Dec. 1960). He was 25 years old and an established singing star and Dee already had a dozen movies behind her as a 19-year-old. In this film, they are both college students.

Hudson plays a wealthy American, Robert Talbot, who spends a lot of time in Europe creating business mergers and other deals to build his empire. A few years earlier, he had bought a villa in Italy, and each September he retreats to his villa to relax. He has a local female love interest who looks forward to his annual retreats. Gina Lollobrigida plays Lisa Fellini. The movie was filmed at locations around Italy.

The source of much of the humor in this film is Walter Slezak who plays Maurice Cavell, major domo of Robert's villa. When the cat is gone, the mice come out to play. And, Maurice turns the villa into a posh hotel for 11 months of the year. Guests staying there now include some young college girls. Among them is Sandy Stevens (Sandra Dee); and camping out nearby are some American college guys touring Europe. Bobby Darin is one of them – Tony.

The film has some very funny scenes, and plenty of witty lines. Suffice it to say that the two generations clash at times, and the "older" folks pick up some pearls of wisdom from the younger ones. In the end, love triumphs, and Robert and Lisa tie the knot. I correctly guessed the last scene, which should give everyone a smile. This is a film that everyone should enjoy. Here are some sample lines of dialog.

Robert, "Teenagers are like the H bomb. When they go off, it's better to observe them from a distance."

Maurice, "She loves you. She wants to marry you." Robert, "Yeah, she has a funny way of showing it." Maurice, "Women are emotional, She's been hurt. She wants time to think." Robert, "Yeah, well, I want to go back to America where people get married without thinking."

Lisa, "Why be miserable with someone you don't love? It's better to be miserable with someone you do love."
0 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed