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Antonio (Giancarlo Commare) has been Lorenzo's (Carlo Calderone)
husband for what feels like forever, and Lorenzo has made him pretty much
a kept man - and then, rather out of the blue, Lorenzo asks for a
separation and pretty much throws him out of the house. And suddenly
everything changes for Antonio, as he has never really been on his own,
and now the only person he can fall back on is of all people Lorenzo's
sister Cristina (Michela Giraud), who's sympathetic to his cause and
ultimately gets him together with Denis (Eduardo Valdarnini), a cocky rich
kid who doubles at time as prostitute and as drug dealer, but who gets him
a room in his mansion, and eventually a job at Luca's (Gianmarco Saurino)
bakery, and who encourages him to become a pastry chef. Before long,
Antonio and Denis become best friends, and likewise Antonio becomes good
friends with Luca, even if he has seduced him at work once. Denis and Luca
encourage Antonio to try online dating to still his sexual desires, and to
stand on his own feet. Everything works well for Antonio for a while,
until he meets Thomas (Lorenzo Adorni), and the two start a kind of
serious relationship - not because Antonio really loves Thomas but because
Thomas gives him the feeling he's cared for and wants him to make a kept
man ... and more and more Antonio falls back into behavioural patterns he
has experienced with Lorenzo - much to the dismay of his friends, who see
all his opportunities being swept away ...
Mascarpone is a surprisingly multi-layered film that's
only at its surface a romantic comedy - and sure employs many of that
genre's tropes -, but really has more to tell than the usual
happily-ever-after feelgood narrative. And thanks to a clever and witty
screenplay it does that without driving the message home via sledgehammer
but manages to entertain throughout, while a light-footed directorial
effort and a relatable ensemble keep one engaged pretty much from first to
last minute.
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