28/01/2011

More than a war of the sexes, it could be called a match, given one of the character’s football obsession. Hence, Maschi contro femmine [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile] (Males vs. Females, released October 27, 2010), is followed up by the rematch Femmine contro maschi [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile] (Females vs. Males).

Shot contemporarily with the first chapter of the series, the second (crowded with characters, some secondary who have been promoted to main, and vice versa), according to director Fausto Brizzi promised a reversal of perspective, from the “stronger” to the “gentler” sex.

The latter is represented here by Francesca Inaudi, a wife sick of her eternal Peter Pan husband; Serena Autieri, a career woman convinced that her own Peter Pan has finally grown up; Luciana Littizzetto, an ignored wife who takes advantage of her husband’s amnesia to try and turn him into something "better"; and an ex-wife (Nancy Brilli) who to make her former mother-in-law (Wilma De Angelis) happy pretends to remarry her ex-husband.

The film makes it seem as if, in Italy, women (or females, from the title) are only wives or mothers, an approach that might upset talk show sociologists. I.e., do the three male screenwriters – Brizzi, Marco Martani and Massimiliano Bruno, along with writer Pulsatilla (real name Valeria Di Napoli) only see them as such?

It’s also disappointing to see most of the laughs go to the men (including man-child duo Ficarra and Picone, the absent-minded Emilio Solfrizzi and the penitent divorcee Claudio Bisio), while the actresses have to settle for mostly “castrating” roles of women who snuff the imagination and vitality of their men. Thus, despite the fact that the film is better than the first chapter (the cast and the rhythm are tighter, and there are moving melancholic touches), it risks bordering on misogyny.

Produced by Fulvio e Federica Lucisano (Italian International Film) with Medusa Film, which is distributing the film on February 4 on over 600 screens. International sales are handled by Im Global.

(Translated from Italian)