Customer Reviews

Ginger and Cinnamon

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ginger and Cinnamon, Dillo con Parole Mie (`Say it in my words') in its Italian version, is entertaining in its dialogue and acting. The storyline is a little drab and predictable if you catch on to what has happened early on, somethat that I admit I failed to understand the first time I watched it. The film is set on the Greek Island of Ios, which is depicted in the same light as MTV's Cancun spring break minus the wet t-shirt contests. Teens and twenty-somethings wander around aimlessly, drink beer for breakfast and have lots of alfresco sex. The movie revolves around the break-up of Stefania and Andrea and the mission-like will of Stefania's niece to lose her virginity at age 14. The sex scenes are mild and show no human flesh beyond what can be seen publicly at any beach.

One unique addition to the film is a series of "reality freezes" in which the director shows groups of actual youth on holiday on the Greek islands. They identify themselves by first name and host city and country. The portrayal of the British kids is all too accurate, and while the pictures often show the youth passed out at 10 AM near a bottle of booze, there is something greater about the international unity that exists on the islands. Even if Brazil and the US have sour diplomatic relations, their youth are still partying hard and together in the Isles of Love.

I recommend this film for a college-level Italian language course. The language is modern and the content entertaining, even profound on some levels. There is a lot of sexual content, however, though nothing to which a typical college student is already inured.

Note on language: Andrea, or `Anea,' uses the word `mo' a couple of times in the film. `Mo' means `adesso' (in modern Italian) or `now' (in English) and is used in a number of Southern dialects.

A brief description in Italian from Yahoo! Cinema Italia:
"Che estate terribile quella che si prospetta per Stefania e Megghy, rispettivamente zia e nipote. Stefania, trentenne, è stata appena lasciata dal suo compagno; la sedicenne Megghy, invece, ha appena perso l'occasione per trascorrere le vacanze con i suoi amici. Entrambe sole, decidono di partire per qualche giorno di relax in Grecia. Ma il destino decide di giocare un brutto tiro: sull'isola di Ios, infatti, Stefania incontra il suo ex Andrea mentre Megghy ritrova i suoi amici."

Ginger and Cinnamon has some funny moments. We thought it was cute and enjoyable fluff and - as others have noted here - it's interesting to get a slice-of-life look at party island life in Greece, literally and no doubt accurately depicted as swarmed by young singles from around the world. One of director Daniele Luchetti's interesting touches is to intersperse eight or so moments where real-life revelers introduce themselves to the camera. No doubt this movie sent the tourist travel to Ios Island through the roof...as if it needed it.

Not much to say about the movie itself. It was pretty hard for me to shake off the overwhelmingly annoying character of Megghy (Martina Merlino) as a self-centered 14-year-old ham-handedly attempting to lose her virginity. We needed less of Merlino and more of the winsome Stefania Montorsi - naturally beautiful and likable in the Giovanna Mezzogiorno mold.

Daniele Luchetti's 8th feature as a director is a lighthearted comedy about love. Martina Merlino in her first film (that I could find) plays 14-year-old Meggy who travels with her aunt to the Greek Island of Ios. The aunt played by Stefania Montorsi who also was a screenwriter for the film and has appeared in Italian films (translated titles) "Little Teachers" & "Other Men." She's a youthful aunt of 30 who is trying to get over a breakup with her boyfriend Andrea, albeit not successfully as she continually calls leaving messages for him. Unbeknownst to the ladies, Andrea has also headed to Ios to draw. Meggy meets Andrea for the first time and is determined to lose her virginity to him. Meanwhile Aunt Stefania meets young Pippo who wants to lose his virginity to Stefania. Pippo is played by Alberto Cucca and looks the part of the young man @ the beach. The various attempts by Meggy to snare Andrea finally result in he & Stefania meeting with fallout from their breakup flying furiously. The film has a very good-natured conclusion with all concerned learning lessons from love. This is a sweet film for romantics of all ages. Enjoy!

I rented this movie from the foreign section of my local library. The title intrigued me, as did the desription from the back of the DVD case [which is posted as the Amazon description]. The film follows Stefania [a 30-something who recently broke up with her boyfriend of 8 years, Andrea] and her niece Martina [aka Meggy, a sexually precocious 15 year old] to Ios, the Greek Isle of Love, where they have a hilarious and irreplicable experience. I absolutely loved this movie. It was heartwarming, and VERY funny. It is definitely next on my "to buy" list!

This Italian movie is a combination romantic comedy/soap opera, and it's also somewhat risqué. Now keep in mind that humor is very subjective, so some people may rave about the film while others pan it. As for myself, after a hard start getting into it, I enjoyed the story.

Plot

After the movie's thirty-year-old female lead breaks up with her boyfriend, they both go their separate ways. Or do they? The heroine's roped into taking her almost fifteen-year-old niece on a last minute trip to Greece. Her niece's purpose in going to Greece is to lose her virginity, and as the movie progresses, the aunt becomes complicit in trying, directly and indirectly, to help her niece achieve that goal.

The movie has some beautiful photography of Ios, the Greek Isle of Love, and it shows how popular the island is with the younger crowd (late teens to mid-twenties).

Do you ever wonder how other people view you?
Do you ever wish you could get back the one you let go?
Do you remember wanting to lose your virginity just to get it over with?
Do you like stunning scenery and a solid soundtrack?
Do you like a little Bollywood number now and then?

Then this is the movie for you!
Made me laugh, made me smile & made me just a tad introspective.

A funny and touching movie about a middle aged aunt suffering the agony of a recent break up tricked by her young teen neice into going to Greece for a vacation where the teen hopes to experience her first sexual relationship. The interaction between the two generations of women is honest, funny and touching. References to seventies music and television are hilarious and familiar. The movie was full of revelation about personalities, self deception, love and growth. Light hearted, fun and beautifully filmed. A movie full of laugh out loud moments and tenderness.

I haven't seen this movie yet but I have seen the scene on the bus ,and it makes me want to see it,The gorgeous Giampaolo Morreli and the equally gorgeous Stefania Montorsi lip synch to a Mina song, Taratata(Fumo Blu).I love Mina,if you don't know who she is you should check her out.start with Youtube.The 2 stars do a flawless job of lip synching and it's a damn cute scene.So I will order this movie now.

Meggy, a silly Italian 14-year-old intent on losing her virginity, takes a trip to a Greek island -- "the Island of Love" -- with her 30-year-old aunt, Stephania, who has just broken off an eight-year relationship. The island seems to be populated solely by young people intent on partying, drinking, sun-bathing, getting high and making love.
Various trivial complications ensue, the ex-boyfriend shows up and proves to be just as moody and immature as everyone else -- and there is also a weird Bollywood interlude where the principals lip-sync and dance to a song hailing the positive attributes of smoking.
The main attraction here is Meggy's strange misconceptions of what it means to be an adult -- but all the characters are terminally childish, shallow and uninteresting.
Sorry, can't really recommend this much. It's pretty harmless like eating cotton candy, but not very nutritious.

The trailer for "Ginger and Cinnamon" made me laugh aloud, so against my better judgment I rented the DVD. WOW - Viewers will really have to suspend disbelief for this one. Since when does an adult in charge of a minor (a 14 year old girl determined to lose her virginity, no less) let her charge run unsupervised day and night on a partying Greek island? The over abundance of coincidences are eye-rolling as well. Speaking of eyes, I nearly had to put toothpicks in mine to stay awake before the movie ended.

Nevertheless, I'm giving "Ginger and Cinnamon" a generous three stars, since it is merely dopey instead of obnoxiously offensive, and I realize that "dopey" equals "entertaining" to some. In addition, one can get a glimpse of Greece. In Italian, with subtitles.