Keeping in mind that I’m sticking with movies that have been distributed in the US, here are 5 more alternatives to Hollywood movies. Keep also in mind that if you love movies with spectacular special effects, there is no alternative; that kind of movie isn’t in an Italian film’s budget.
Follow the links for some very anti-Hollywood substitutes.
If you loved Mean Girls, with Lindsay Lohan in her pre-self-destruct days, take a look at the far more realistic, Caterina in the Big City – Caterina Va in Citta. Caterina’s parents move from a small town to Rome and throw her to the wolves, er, I mean, high school girls in the big city. Watch this one instantly with Netflix.
If you love the sad ones like Rabbit Hole, In the Bedroom, or Ordinary People, you’ve been adequately prepared for the tear-jerker, The Son’s Room – La Stanza Del Figlio, written by directed by, and starring Nanni Moretti. A family is tested in the most severe way when Giovanni and Paola (played by Laura Morante) lose their son in a diving accident. Watch it instantly on Netflix.
Do you enjoy watching aging actors like Robert De Niro in stupid comedies like Meet the Parents and Analyze This? Gianni Di Gregorio offers some better, funnier, alternatives in Mid-August Lunch – Pranzo di Ferragosto, and The Salt of Life – Gianni e le Donne. Both are available for instant viewing and, of course, with subtitles.
If you are a political animal and loved movies like Nixon, with Anthony Hopkins, take a look at this evil politician,ex-prime minister Giulio Andreotti. Il Divo is his story, and he’s played by the Italian actor that the whole world should know about, Toni Servillo. Serving as Prime Minister seven times since the restoration of democracy in 1946, the skeletons in Andreotti’s closet are pretty scary. DIrected by the amazing Paolo Sorrentino, this movie is slick and stylish as well as shocking. Instant gratification available with Netflix.
Are movies about extra-marital affairs your guilty pleasure? Did you love watching Diane Lane cheating on Richard Gere with the very good-looking Olivier Martinez in Unfaithful? Director Silvio Soldini’s Cosavogliodipiù – Come Undone, is an interesting look at infidelity, a little less glamorous, focusing more on the fallout than the charm of an affair. Watch it right now on Netflix.
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