Retired concert conductor Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine) is vacationing at a peaceful Swiss spa with long-time friend Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel). He is asked to perform for the Queen but he refuses for a personal reason. Mick is a filmmaker working on his next script with his troop of young contributors. Fred's daughter and assistant Lena (Rachel Weisz) is married to Mick's son but he has left her for a pop star for the sex. The other hotel clients include actor Jimmy Tree (Paul Dano), an obese Diego Maradona, a bitter silent elderly couple, and a young girl.
The surrealism sometimes work but not all the time. I like the Nazi outfit, the soap bubble girl, but the dream of Mick's female characters don't register. The grassy hill swallows them up. They are better off lined up in a row in emptiness. As for the main roles, I'd like for Fred and Mick to spend more time together. I love the time that Fred spends with Lena. Dano is hit and miss. His best is with the little girl. I would have love to be told that it was Maradona right from the start. I'm not a soccer fan and I wouldn't know him even if he's not obese. This is definitely a movie with its own style. Director Paolo Sorrentino has an unique sense of rhythm and isn't for everybody. This is for the stylish art house fans.
The surrealism sometimes work but not all the time. I like the Nazi outfit, the soap bubble girl, but the dream of Mick's female characters don't register. The grassy hill swallows them up. They are better off lined up in a row in emptiness. As for the main roles, I'd like for Fred and Mick to spend more time together. I love the time that Fred spends with Lena. Dano is hit and miss. His best is with the little girl. I would have love to be told that it was Maradona right from the start. I'm not a soccer fan and I wouldn't know him even if he's not obese. This is definitely a movie with its own style. Director Paolo Sorrentino has an unique sense of rhythm and isn't for everybody. This is for the stylish art house fans.