"Tea With Mussolini" follows a bunch of women, mostly English and mostly past their prime, through the WWII years. The women are part of a colony of well-to-do art lovers who reside near Florence, Italy and wile away their days with tea and idle chit-chat as the world prepares for war. The unfortunate film has much to offer...great cast, wonderful location shooting, costuming, etc. Many will like it's sanitized dreaminess and charm. However, it fails as a story by spreading itself too thin over too much time resulting in a disjointed screenplay with an annoying and stuttering lack of continuity all the while wallowing in pitiful trivialities and diluting the effect of what are intended to be climactic or poignant moments. An easy and enjoyable watch which fails in the overall effect.
Review of Tea with Mussolini
