23/09/2013 - In Universitari, university-goers still seem to be in school

Federico Moccia is every teenager’s filmmaker, with love stories and funny nicknames, entrenched in a Roman middle-class from northern parts of the capital. An effort to distance himself from that formula results in a loss of effectiveness and authenticity. This is the impression, which his latest feature film, Universitari - Molto più che amici, [+see also:
trailer
film profile] leaves you with. The first one not to be based on one of his own novels (original screenplay was written by Moccia with Ilaria Carlino), the first not to revolve around a love story (even if sentimental elements are far from missing) and try and focus on other themes (extended family).

Here, characters have grown up and are at university. Three boys and three girls find themselves sharing a house on the outskirts of Rome. Carlo (Simone Riccioni) is an aspiring director; Alessandro (Primo Reggiani) wants to be a comedian but in the mean time is studying medicine; Faraz (French Brice Martinet) is Iranian, with ties to his roots but attracted by Western culture; Giorgia (Nadir Caselli) has few roots and receives little attention from her parents; Francesca (Sara Cardinaletti) is in a doomed relationship with a professor; Emma (Maria Chiara Centorami) wants to be a contestant on Big Brother, but in the mean time spends her time in a night club.

“In this house, characters recreate a new family, which none of them has ever had,” Moccia said, explaining the idea behind the film. The problem being that the characters’ adventures are lacking and the feelings that emerge between them come across as unjustified. The protagonists are infantile and their dialogues suggest they are still in school. One example: misogynist jokes abound and seem more adapted to a pre-teen era, if any. 

The strength of Moccia’s films – whether it is those he simply wrote, or those he also directed – was to make his young audiences dream before fairy tale like love stories at home and abroad (remakes of Three Steps Over Heaven and Ho voglia di te [+see also:
trailer
film profile] were box office hits in Spain). Here, steam seems to have run out, as have well-known names (Riccardo Scamarcio and Raoul Bova carried former titles). Time will tell whether Moccia finds an older, adult audience.

Produced by Lotus Production and Medusa Film (also the distributor), Universitari will be coming out in Italy on September 26 in no less than 350 movie theatres.

(Translated from Italian)