Synopsis

Achille De Bellis is the CEO of a major hotel chain owned by his wife Gigliola and brother-in-law Guglielmo. He seems to have everything a man could desire: a beautiful home, a sound marriage and an excellent professional position. Achille’s main weakness is his beautiful sister-in-law Ramona. However, as his silver wedding anniversary draws near, every certainty in his life is overturned when he encounters 23 year old good for nothing Orfeo who lives in a working class neighborhood of Rome. Like his friends, he lacks much ambition, and manages to keep himself afloat with small unskilled jobs, while his afternoons tend to be passed in pointless discussions and chat. He never met his father, but grew up fast, forced to care for his unbalanced mother who seems incapable of facing everyday life. When Achille fires Annarita for theft, Orfeo is convinced that his mother has been wrongly accused, and decides to take his revenge. He starts following Achille in order to discover his weaknesses and ruin his existence. Until Orfeo falls in love with a young woman named Cecilia. Unbeknows to him, the woman of his dreams is Achille's daughter.

What The Critics Say

"Silvio Muccino (disturbingly Russell Crowe-ish in many scenes) delivers a wonderfully dramatic character in Orfeo, a young man to whom life happens - until love makes him proactive. Carlo Valdone is an old pro who makes comedy schtick look easy, and Ana Caterina Morariu is engaging as the strong minded young woman caught in the middle of a war between two men in her life. Technically excellent and shot on great locations including Istanbul, the film is greatly helped by Paolo Buonvino's excellent score, which keeps tabs on the emotional railway lines that director Verdone lays down." Andrew L Urban URBAN CINEFILE "What a fun movie. I saw this in Italy last year - I am so glad it has made it here. The movie is hilarious, excruciating and even has the odd moment of poignancy." YOUR MOVIES REVIEWS "TWO generations of Italian movie talent, veteran Carlo Verdone and rising star Silvio Muccino, share writing, directing and acting honours for a mix of comedy and road movie that was chosen to open Palace Films' annual Italian Film Festival staged in Brisbane late last year. Director Verdone amusingly plays Achilles de Bellis, the pernickety Rome-based manager of a hotel chain that is owned by his wife, Gigliola (Agnese Nano) and his brother-in-law Guglielmo (Paolo Triestino)." Des Partridge THE COURIER MAIL "Beginning as a comedy of revenge, My Best Enemy develops into a genial buddy movie; like Orfeo, the viewer is hardly given enough time to savour Achilles' humiliations before a sense of guilt kicks in." Jake Wilson THE AGE

"Muccino is once again charming, and definitely shows more range than in their previous collaboration: in "My Best Enemy" he is required to be both villain, victim and romantic lead, and he manages to keep the audience onside regardless of his more spiteful actions. His love for his mother is evident, and his rage and frustration understandable, and these darker features provide him with significantly more depth than 'romantic comedy lead' may otherwise provide. 3 STARS." HOOPLA.NU "...a delightful comedy about love and family." Peter Crayford THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW "Verdone's playfulness and sly humour make this a comedy to savour." Tom Ryan SUNDAY AGE "Every now and then a film comes along that blows you away almost without you realising it. They usually revolve around flawed people and feature some unlikely but convincing relationships. It comes from two Italians: the veteran actor-filmmaker Carlo Verdone and the similarly multitalented 24-year-old Silvio Muccino, who were last seen on screen together in "The Manual of Love". George Palathingal SYDNEY MORNING HERALD "Nominated for 12 David Di Donatello Awards (Italian Oscars), "My Best Enemy" is a delightful comedy that reunites actor-director Carlo Verdone with his "Manual of Love" co-star Silvio Muccino in an hilarious tale of two nemeses coming together for the love of a girl: One happens to be her boyfriend, the other, her father." Georgia Sholl BRISBANE WHAT'S ON

The Inside Story I should like "My Best Enemy" to be considered one of the best of Carlo Verdone’s films: seven drafts, almost fifteen months devoted entirely to writing a screenplay of 130 scenes, which was then shot in Rome, Sabaudia, Lake Como, Geneva and Istanbul, involving freezing nights, snow, rain, wake-up calls at 6 in the morning for three months. So I wouldn’t forgive myself for making a mistake with a film that cost so much effort: but there will be no mistake. After "My Best Enemy" I understood that even more than talent, you need solid physical strength to undertake certain types of film as director and actor ... and I can certainly say that this was the most demanding one in my career ... although I have to add that it has given me enormous satisfaction. It gave me a very rewarding professional relationship and friendship with Silvio Muccino. When he had finished shooting his scenes in Istanbul, he chose to stay with me and the crew, showing great affection and sensitivity, although the main thing that made him stay was love for this film. He wanted to see the end of the shooting. And this touched me enormously, especially because he had to get up at dawn each morning in order to be with us. Silvio is a man with unusual sensitivity and positive energy. He worked with great dedication, and I personally watched over him as I have seldom done in my other films. I am in general very happy with the work of all the actors, from Ana Caterina Morariu, with her excellent professionalism, to Agnese Nano, Sara Bertelà, Paolo Triestino and Corinne Jiga, who perfectly filled the roles in the screenplay: they will be a pleasant surprise for everybody. Carlo Verdone was born in Rome on November 17th 1950, son of professor, writer and film historian Mario Verdone. When Carlo Verdone had finished his university studies, majoring in literature, he enrolled in the Director’s School at Rome’s Centro Sperimentale, where he graduated with a thesis based on Chekhov: "Anjuta". His career has covered stage, screen and television. His work has received numerous prizes that includes: David of Donatello Awards for: Best Actor in "Un sacco bello" (special recognition); Best Actor in "Borotalco"; Best Screenplay for "Io e mia sorella"; Best Actor and Best Screenplay for "Maledetto il giorno che ti ho incontrato"; Best Director for "Perdiamoci di vista"; Best Supporting Actor in "Manuale d’amore". Nastro d'Argento: Best Screenplay for "Al lupo al lupo"; Biglietto d'Oro: "Un sacco bello"; "I due carabinieri"; "Io e mia sorella"; "Compagni di scuola"; "Stasera a casa di Alice"; "Maledetto il giorno che t’ho incontrato"; "Al lupo al lupo"; "Perdiamoci di vista"; "Viaggi di nozze". De Sica Prize for the cinema, 1983; Sergio Leone Prize, Annecy, 1993; Lumière Prize, Paris, 1993; Ennio Flaiano Prize, 1993; ANEC Plaque, for 20 years’ career with a box office record that has never given the producer a loss; Telegatto 1988; Ciak d'Oro 1988; 2005; Prize of Honor and Merit of the Italian Republic, 1994; Pegaso d'Oro for "Al lupo al lupo", 1993; Bruno Corbucci Prize for "Maledetto il giorno che t’ho incontrato", 1992; Diamanti Prize for Cinema "Star of the Year" 2005 for "Manuale d’amore".
Silvio Muccino was born in Rome on April 14th 1982.He graduated from Rome’s Arts High School and enrolled in the Arts Faculty of Rome’s La Sapienza University. Ana Caterina Morariu graduated from the 'National Film School' and has attended various acting courses. Sara Bertelà trained at the Stage School attached to Genoa’s Teatro Stabile. Paolo Triestino has worked with Italy’s top artistes, including: F Parenti, U Orsini, G De Sio, M Guerritore, S Fantoni, G Lavia, C Giuffré, M Missiroli, G De Bosio, L De Filippo, P Maccarinelli, M Sciaccaluga, A Calenda, M Panici, . Coltorti, G Lombardo Radice and A Ruth Shaman. For some years has focused on contemporary Italian drama, working with such authors as : V Salemme, M Santanelli, D Camerini, E Erba and V Franceschi. In 2001 Triestino received the "Prima Award" prize for best stage actor. The Verdict "It's not hard to see why "Il Mio miglior nemico" or "My Best Enemy" was such a smash hit at the recent Italian Film Festival. Nominated for twelve David Di Donatello Awards and starring Carlo Verdone and Silvio Muccin from "The Manual of Love" (Manuale d'Amore) this is a film that will sit easy with those who love a film with a mixture of pathos, revenge, romance, deceit and finally redemption all of course with an Italian flavour. There's a lot of slapstick and capricious humour sprinkled throughout "My Best Enemy" which takes the viewer on a road trip from Rome to Lake Como, on to Geneva and then Turkey. Sit back, relax and let it unfold before your eyes. A satisfying film with a good ending, "My Best Enemy" is like a good italian tomato sauce. Rich and tasty! 3 1/2 STARS. Easy to read subtitles." Cast & Crew Bytes "MY BEST ENEMY" stars .......
Carlo Verdone ["Let's Not Keep in Touch", "Love Is Eternal While It Lasts" and "The Manual of Love"]; Silvio Muccino ["The Last Kiss", "Remember Me", "The Life I Want" and "The Manual of Love"]; Corinne Jiga ["My Best Enemy"]; Agnese Nano ["Cinema Paradiso", "The Long Silence", "The Summer of Bobby Charlton" and "Killers On Holiday"], Paolo Triestino ["Shooting the Moon", "Dirty Linen", "And Now Sex" and "Sunday Lunch"] and Ana Caterina Morariu ["Chi ci ferma più" and "Oceans Twelve"] as Cecilia.
"MY BEST ENEMY" was .......
directed by Carlo Verdone ["Damned the Day I Met You", "Let's Not Keep in Touch", "It's Not Our Fault" and "Love Is Eternal While It Lasts"]; costume desogn by Tatiana Romanoff ["Damned the Day I Met You", "I'm Crazy About Iris Blond", "A Chinese in a Coma" and "At The Right Moment"]; edited by Claudio Di Mauro ["The Young Casanova", "Remember Me, My Love", "The Secret Guest" and "Eros"]; cinematography by Danilo Desideri ["Soap and Water", "Let's Not Keep in Touch", "I'm Crazy About Iris Blonde" and "It's Not Our Fault"]; original music by Paolo Buonvino ["The Last Kiss", "Remember Me" and "Five Moons Plaza"] produced by Aurelio De Laurentiis ["Forbidden Encounters", "Christmas Vacation 2000", "What Will Happen to Us?" and "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow"]. Run Time 110 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - Palace Films - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2007 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved