America didn’t take to Gabriele Muccino’s Playing For Keeps, but Italy loves Quello Che So Sull’amore (the Italian title of that same movie); it’s number one at the Italian box office right now and the press there is calling it “Muccino’s Revenge”. It’s light-weight rom-com, but it’s not a disaster. One reason for it’s US failure is the timing of the US release date, a weekend classically reserved for Christmas shopping here and not a big movie weekend.

READ MY REVIEW OF PLAYING FOR KEEPS

In second place last weekend: Giuseppe Tornatore’s La Migliore Offerta (The Best Offer), starring Geoffrey Rush. This one’s the real deal and will be shown at a special screening at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.

READ MY REVIEW OF LA MIGLIORE OFFERTA

“The year has started out well,” said Riccardo Tozzi, prexy of Italo motion picture org Anica at its annual presser on Tuesday about local box office data. “The only way for the Italian market to grow is if local movies click. It’s crucial, and that is what we are working on.”