User Reviews

This film came and went too quickly in 1985, but I was fortunate enough to see it in a movie theater at the time, and later to get the video of it. Jack Lemmon is an American business executive on a business trip to Naples (where he was stationed in World War II). He is a crabby, middle aged man, who has financial success but has lost a sense of enjoyment in life. Reenter his old friend Marcello Mastroianni, whose sister was once dating Lemmon. Lemmon is at first suspicious and standoffish (he barely recalls Mastroianni) but his curiosity makes him take up Mastroianni again. The latter is a clerk in a bank, but he is a part-time actor and dramatist, and the center of a large family group. He also has had an odd habit of dying and being resurrected again, since childhood. Lemmon gradually finds his humanity being restored, and finding he wants to be re-involved with his old friend's family. The conclusion veers to tragedy, but the conclusion is very sweet. I recommend this film strongly, to people who wish to believe.

Pasta, as the staple food of all Italian households, serves as the symbol of that which sustains us physically. And life long relationships is what defines each and every one of us. In this respect, watching Mastroianni as Antonio and Lemmon as Robert is like watching two master painters at work creating a human landscape spanning decades.

In Antonio, Mastroianni reveals a man of integrity, caring, love and a sense of what makes us all human. Juxtaposed in Robert, Lemmon initially shows us a tired, bitter and disconnected man who no longer sees the real beauty in life. One cannot find two more opposite men at their respective stages in life. But it is here that the audience enters into their world or re-discovery.

As always, Jack Lemmon inhabits the soul of his character (Robert) while portraying the angst felt by a man in deep internal turmoil. But being the great actor Lemmon always displayed, he does not leave us with this one dimensional view of Robert. Rather Lemmon takes us, as the film progresses, on a journey into his re-discovery of a time in his life when happiness was real, taken for granted and lost. And in that realization, Lemmon gives us the real bitterness of his character. Having once loved Antonio's sister during his days in the Army while stationed in Italy, Robert knew, perhaps for the only time in his life, real joy and kinship with others.

Mastroianni gives a masterful performance of a dedicated bank employee who while he is not rich monetarily is rich in the knowledge of the love and respect he enjoys from family and friends. When Robert returns to Italy on a business trip in the present day, Antonio becomes overjoyed with the thought of rekindling the friendship he once shared with Robert. Mastroianni plays, with youthful enthusiasm, his excitement in seeing his 'old friend' Robert again. Antonio, in his simple way, has never lost sight of the true wealth of life. It is in this simplicity that Robert finds, at first, exasperation and then regret.

But watching these two masters of cinema go to work with their characters is liking watching a sculptor taking a lump of stone and turning it into a recognizable form. Lemmon and Mastroianni take the basis of their characters and give a master class in blending the two diverse characters. It is in this blending that both Antonio and Robert learn the real lesson in life - people's lives may change but their core does not. In the end, Antonio is aided by Robert who understands the importance of taking swift action to save Antonio's son who has gotten involved with some unsavory characters. Antonio comes to realize that his friend never stopped caring for him, he was just side tracked by his life in America. For Robert, he has once again felt that exhilaration that we can all know if we allow ourselves. And that is the exhilaration of unconditional, ever present love by friends and family which is the basis of all human relationships.

The final scene of the film is very fitting as we see Robert and Antonio's family sitting at the family dinner table being served pasta. The two staples of life are joined here just as Robert and Antonio were once again.

Macaroni casts Jack Lemmon as an American businessman on a trip to Naples, his first since World War II when he traveled on a group rate and probably landed at Salerno. The Neapolitan women were most grateful to the Americans for liberation, most grateful indeed.

Over 40 years go by and Lemmon now a successful businessman is on business in Naples and he's greeted in his hotel room by an old friend he doesn't recognize. Marcello Mastroianni is at first dismissed when Lemmon doesn't recognize him, but the picture he leaves of Lemmon and his sister does the trick.

With some trepidation Lemmon seeks out Mastroianni's family and finds the sister now a matronly grandmother. Naturally he was expecting some unknown offspring, but her's can all be attributed to the husband she later married.

Mastroianni is a dreamer and a dramatist of sorts. He's involved with what we would in America call a stock company as he writes and directs and stars in little dramas of his own. In one we see him as an Italian version of Snidely Whiplash. And he's created a whole drama around Lemmon as he wrote letters in Lemmon's name recounting a life that some pulp fiction hero would have envied. You can imagine Lemmon's reaction when he learns of his other life.

Pretty soon Lemmon is sucked into the family and as things aren't going well in his personal life in America, he's soon involved with the whole family. The end however is bitter sweet.

Macaroni is essentially a two person film with no real flushing out of any of the other characters played by actors and actresses unknown to American audiences. Lemmon and Mastroianni are good together though nothing like Lemmon and Matthau, but who was?

It's an easy to take film goes better with a glass of red wine.

Lemmon and Mastronianni...what can I say? This is an explosive mixture, one of the best European actors with one of the best American actors.... no comments. Both their roles are great and did not expect less. From the movie I was expecting a different ending although it was not disappointing it left me with the bitter taste. Good comic and drama mix of Scolla.

The conceit of this odd little film is that to experience family love the late-middle-aged American man must return whence he found it -- to Italy of course!

The score is lovely but the sound quality execrable. The comedy hits Americans sideways but the location shots of Naples are breathtaking. (What can Florence be like?)

The storyline is all over the place but then it doesn't matter because we are spellbound by every scene where Lemmon and Mastroianni are together. Both are at the top of their form, not out of any sense of competing, but rather out of respect -- to their characters, to their director, and to each other.

Lemmon is the most restrained I've ever seen him. His tendency to be seen working is quelled, perhaps, by Mastroianni's generous willingness to cede the center of the stage.

So what we have is a little movie with a somewhat pretentious theme that nevertheless, because of its idiosyncrasies and contradictions, and especially because of the performances of its leads, is well worth viewing.

Tonight I had much to study and very little feeling for my books. I watched this film instead: I vaguely remembered it had a poor IMDb rating, but I decided to give it a chance anyway. I'm so glad I did! I found out a delightful bitter-sweet comedy, with some good laughs and a few touching moments as well. To be true the plot about the depressed American businessman who comes to Italy and discovers the enjoyment of life has been heard before and could seem sometimes predictable, but has its great moments; the score is rather charming too. Marcello and Jack are a magnificent paring. This film is vastly and wrongfully underrated. I can't believe it's only rated 6.1: it would deserve much more. I highly recommend it to anybody loves truly great artists like Lemmon and Mastroianni.

An interesting film but it suffers from cartoonish italiana--- I don't know what else to call it... the over exaggeration of feel good cliché Italian color.

Every camera shot must have been selected by the tourism bureau to show authentic old Naples.

That distraction aside the story is good except it gets carried away with unbelievable junk about Marcello's theater involvement.

Also these men are 60 years old what is Marcello doing with a 20 year old son? If this film had been toned down and made a little more realistic it would have been a master piece.

I recently came across a copy of this film on a very old VHS/rental copy,which I bought at Goodwill. #1.99. It's age of course made it jumpy in some scenes but otherwise it looked picture perfect in terms of color.

The movie itself is a wonderful discovery and like most films I'd never heard of,it turned out to be totally worth the time invested to watch it.

The set up is simple but the idea of a man consoling his sister for 40 years in getting over the departure of her WW 2 romance is priceless.

Lemmon's character,due to the exaggerated letters written with his name signed to them,has become a legendary figure in Naples. So upon his return visit he's astounded how everyone seems to know him,despite never meeting him,before.

The overall story is a series of what seem like unrelated events but they seem to fit the story well. Also,upon first viewing it seems like this is a lost 1970s Jack Lemmon movie but was made in 1985 actually. The old look of Naples may be the cause of that because i searched the box looking for the date of release.

Overall,I found it not wildly funny but funny in a more dry humored, offbeat and even surreal sense. Surreal because I doubt any of the odder things that happen here could happen for real. Which is the key ingredient in making this enjoyable,as well as it's two big name stars.

10 out of 10! Voila! (END)

Two incredible actors team up for this tender film about two World War II buddies who are reunited in modern day Naples only to find that Antonio (Mastroianni)has been forging letters to his sister from Robert (Lemmon) since the war ended. It was his way of helping her forget the American who left her behind. Worth viewing for the fantastic chemistry between both stars.

I lived in Naples at the time and those Americans who did loved this movie. There were many inside jokes that you could only know about if living or have lived in Italy. However, my sister saw it having never been in Naples and thought it was both touching and Naples. The people and and the city is really like it. Jack Lemmon doesn't play his typical character but plays straight man to the city and the people of Naples and seeing his reaction to this strange world of people and back alleys is hilarious. The movie reminds me a little of an Neopolitan version of the movie Cannery Row but much more funnier. Most Americans hate Naples until after a few months living there an then love it. The movie captures that spirit. Well worth seeing especially if you ever want to visit bella Napoli. I agree with the previous comment that the movie came and went all too fast...a sleeper.

Often referred to as a film which "nearly makes it" this somewhat cynical comedy is not as bad as everyone says it is in my opinion. Its two main actors, Jack Lemmon and Marcello Mastroiani, make a great pair, better (I think) than the pairing of Lemmon and Walter Matthau. It's quite a sweet little film really with a nice ending. Sometimes it is very depressingly funny, and sometimes it's just sad. The general idea behind the film is the idea of, in old age, going back to a happier past. It's not a gem, but it deserves at least some credit. But it is worth seeing if you get the chance. If you find you liked Mastroiani's performance, then I recommend that you see the Italian film "I Soliti Ignoti". Enjoy!

Macaroni follows the renewal of friendship bewtween two men who have not seen each other since WWII. The only not-so-good part of the movie is that it is very predictable. It is never too hard to guess what will happen next. Some may enjoy these types of film however I would rather be challenged!

The wonderful part of this film is the pairing of Lemmon and Mastroianni. They are wonderful together. I have not laughed this hard watching a movie in a long time. Trust me, you will be rolling on the floor. But it is not all fun and games, there is a serious message. Watch it and find out!

This is such a sweet little film with two great actors. Each at their very best. If you like Cinema Paradiso you'll like this film. I loved it and I've waited a long time to be able to get it online. I hope it makes a comeback. Classic.

I'm writing this only because I felt this movie is unfairly underrated maybe because of the horrible review that the Spielberg lover wrote. Also, I was not able to find a semi-decent review. I'm not a film critic, so here is just a few bullet points.

It's not about the plot, that's what the Spielberg lover didn't get about the movie. The plot (and the several subplots) are all the platform to beautifully show the ordinary life in Naples, as said by Mastroianni towards the end of the movie (can't remember the exact translation, but something like beautiful and cruel). In the middle of crisis, an old friendship is so important to Marcelo Mastroianni. The movie brilliantly shows that with all contradictions, life is not too serious in Naples (even as simple as enjoying an icecream like a child), that people manage to have hobbies like writing or directing amateur plays, or how important family is, or how important the religion and traditions are (when though we never get to know how much Mastroianni really believed in them), how connected people are to each other, or enjoying the sunlight at the beach (AND ENJOY WASTING TIME), ..., and how proud they are even if they are poor (not asking or even accepting financial help when they need it most, or saying "but the criminals were from the north" although admitting the situation with crimes in their own city). What about the scene that Mastroianni is picking up the garbage and nagging about the drunks who trash the streets to showing his frustrations towards his beloved drink friend (doesn't he have the same feeling about his city and its people?), .... I would have to go through each and every scene if I want to go on. And, the contrast between the life styles. The first time we see Jack's Hotel room, we see a bottle of hard liquor and bunch of pills by his bed while he is suffering from a headache. What about the time that Jack orders whiskey but Marcello says no not at this time of the day, being him a such and such icecream. How about the openness of the people vs Jack (all he says about his personal life in the entire movie is that he is going through a divorce). And, what about the places, is there anything else left in the Naples that the director didn't show in the movie, but were we aware that we were getting a tour of all these places and neighborhoods, maybe we noticed how bad the traffic is)...

My review was written in October 1985 after watching the film at a Columbus Circle screening room.

"Macaroni" is a mild comedy-drama teaming the formidable talents of Jack Lemmon and Marcello Mastroianni. Stronger in expression of honest sentiment than in its humorous component, the picture faces weak theatrical prospects via Paramount release as a pickup. It was originally scheduled to be an HBO Premiere Films presentation domestically (a slot it would fill comfortably) until the pay-cable outfit dropped out of the project.

Jack Lemmon toplines as Bob Traven (the joke on the mysterious novelist B. Traven's name is never explicit here), a v.p. At McDonnell Douglas visiting Naples as a consultant to Aeritalia. It's his first time back since 1946 when, as a G.i., he was stationed there.

As an acquaintance from that period whom he has completely forgotten, Antonio Jasiello (Marcello Mastroianni) looks Traven up and takes the at-first unwilling (too busy) American around town to meet the family and friends.

It seems that everybody knows Traven, because Jasiello has been surreptitiously writing letters using Traven's name over the years to his own sister Maria, who had a brief romance in 1946 with the American. She's long-since been married and now has adult grandchildren.

Relying too heavily on its two stars, at first abrasive adversaries but later best of friends as Lemmon unbends to Mastroianni's exuberant joie de vivre, "Macaroni" rarely achieves the comedic heights of director Ettore Scola's previous work. There simply isn't an abundance of funny situations or witty dialog here.

Best sequence has amateur playwright Mastroianni filling in as the villain in one of his monthly poverty productions. Heavily made-up (and looking oddly like the late Ernie Kovacs), Mastroianni is genuinely funny in the brief skit acted with Italian dialog.

Elsewhere, this English-language film is hampered by the dialog, with merely okay readings by Mastroianni, artificial dubbing of Isa Danieli as his empathetic wife and rote, direct-sound speeches by Daria Nicolodi as Aeritalia's p.r. Officer. Thesps' acting is okay but diluted by the language distraction.

Lemmon throws himself into his role with customary passion, pumping life into some routine scenes. Pic would have benefited from some period flashback material set in 1946 (especially given Scola's work in his 1974 "We All Loved Each Other So Much") but is rooted in the present. A contrived, melancholy ending doesn't come off.

Tech credits are merely adequate, with Naples' natural beauty shining through Claudio Ragona's strictly functional photography.

An American goes to Naples on business and is immediately swallowed up by the Neapolitan confusion of life, or shall we say whirlwind of confusions, because that's the last thing he expected, being formal and having a set and precise programme, which is completely shattered by unexpected events. The moment he is settled in Naples an old war buddy turns up from 40 years before, who has seen him on television and just wants to renew their old friendship, but Jack Lemmon the business man reacts against being overwhelmed by humanity but is gradually nevertheless dragged down into the life of the hearty Neapolitan Marcello Mastroianni, who gets into deep trouble just as Jack Lemmon is about to leave for home, and here is the great crisis of the film. Jack Lemmon is converted, abandons all his projects and practically jumps off the plane to save his old war partner at any cost with serious consequences. The film gives the impression of imitating Vittorio de Sica and his masterful Neapolitan films, de Sica was a napolitano himself and understood his city better than anyone else, while Scola is not quite so much a Neapolitan. The result becomes something of a pastiche, although with excellent acting, wonderful scenes, great comedy and even an example of Neapolitan local theatre in the local dialect, a perfect farce making fun of the Camorra, but that actually makes an intrusion later in the film, showing something of the serious criminal problems of the city. The film is worth watching and loving for the marvellous acting of the two great actors, Jack Lemmon was never better, and for its warm humanity in spite of all.