If director Giuseppe Tornatore has had an up-and-down time of it since his breakthrough, 1988’s almost universally adored, Oscar-winning “Cinema Paradiso,” it has to be said that his most recent film, “The Best Offer,” marks a definite low point, even as one of the downs. But that’s probably what’s going to happen when you take a cast, including Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess and Donald Sutherland, that mostly seems as though they don’t belong on the same planet, let alone in the same film, stick them in a pointlessly convoluted plot that’s ludicrously unbelievable from start to finish, and drench the whole lot in a hysterically screechy score from Ennio Morricone. The resulting film is such a campy mess that for a while it’s possible to see it having some sort of life as a kitsch cultish artifact, like an overplotted TV movie from the ’80s. But then it goes on for an interminable 124 minutes, and even that dubious hold on our interest is lost.
Just get a load of this: Virgil Oldman (Rush) is a wealthy and renowned auctioneer who lives the kind of high-class Euro lifestyle that nobody has ever lived, in a luxuriously appointed suite with an immense wall cabinet solely reserved for gloves, because he has some sort of fastidious aversion to touching people or things. His fastidiousness and snobbery, however, mask a shady venal streak, as Virgil is not above using his immaculate reputation to incorrectly identify a painting as a fake, the better to snap it up at auction via a proxy (Sutherland), and snaffle it away for his personal consumption. Still a virgin, over the years he has amassed a considerable number of valuable portraits, always of women, which now line the walls of a secret room (behind the glove wardrobe) from floor to ceiling. Taking the one phone call per year that he answers himself, Virgil hears from a mysterious young woman who wants him to handle the sale of the contents of her mansion, but will never show herself to him. On his first visit he comes across a gear of some sort which he brings to… local mechanical engineering genius and cheery cheeky chappy Robert (Sturgess), who identifies it as part of an automaton dating back to the 17th century that they both become semi-obsessed with rebuilding. Of course, to get the other parts, Virgil must return to the mansion, where he eventually strikes up a relationship with the mysterious woman, Claire (Sylvia Hoeks). She has been apparently living as a shut-in in a secret room of her own, in just one of the film’s screamingly obvious parallels, and when he finally does see her, it turns out, naturally, that she is fully as beautiful as any one of his hidden paintings.
Fairly soon after the start it becomes clear that the film is not going to be very good, but there is still a somewhat interesting Gothic vibe to the woman-in-the-attic plot, and we were quite into the steampunkiness of the subplot about the automaton, because we’re nerds about that sort of thing. But then the twists start coming, surprising nobody except the characters in the film and occasionally inducing eye-roll strain with their contrivance. Aside from the skeeziness of having to endure Rush’s eventual sex scene with Hoeks, more than 30 years his junior, to add insult to injury, we are asked to believe that a man who is seemingly world-renowned for his canniness in business and refined taste in art is such an utter fool that he still thinks there are princesses locked up in ivory towers. And of course, once they’re unlocked, they all look like Botticelli Venuses and will of course fall into the arms of the first sexegenarian they clap eyes on. It’s a little like being told that, I dunno, Norman Mailer believed in unicorns.
And we can’t at all let the performers off the hook. While Rush seems to have some fun devolving from stiff, pompous, starched snob to sweaty old fool in love, Sturgess is just confoundingly miscast or misdirected into a performance so odd that it actually warps our idea of the film’s location (never very clear anyway)—wait, are we in Italy, as the buildings suggest, or the East End of London? And would a friendly lothario with a genius for mechanics be able to make the kind of wage from a shop in which he appears to mostly mend old typewriters for free (and refuse checks from people) to be able to dine in these improbably fancy restaurants? And as for Donald Sutherland, it appears he has simply forgotten the art of acting while standing up. No really, check it out—sitting, he can deliver the silly dialogue and all-over-the-shop characterization the script demands of him with some conviction, but standing, that ability seems to desert him. Perhaps he’s overcome with embarrassment.
As the film trundled toward its forehead-slappingly risible conclusion and the strings on the soundtrack swelled to an ever more insistent shrillness, we ceased to even be mildly diverted by how over-the-top bad the whole endeavor is. Strangely old-fashioned in its construction and requiring a Golden Gate-level feat of engineering to achieve the suspension of disbelief necessary to unironically enjoy it, the lunatic excesses of “The Best Offer” are best approached with severe caution. [D]
This is an edited reprint of our review from the 2013 Berlin Film Festival.
Have just seen this movie for the second time and am even more impressed by the way the plot develops, by the striking but subtle symbolism and by the as always, excellent performance by Geoffrey Rush. Yes, there are holes in the plot but aren\’t there in most \’thrillers\’? I really enjoyed this film and consider the critic a little less than reasonable in its appraisal. As for the viewer above who wanted the film stopped some 20 minutes before the actual ending, may I enquire why you even bother to go to the movies? You really must live in another world if you expect that presumably, novels, songs, films, stories should all stop at that point which most suits your tastes!!!
This is one of the best movies on Netflix
& I\’ve seen a bunch.as far as J. klang review, she dosen\’t have a clue. All movies are make beleive but as a reviwer, she is make beleive!
Strongly disagree. I think that ignores the work of Tornatore. It has its faults but performs a complex metaphor about love, passion, loss and hope that the critic does not appreciate. Do not be fooled, it is not perfect but is captivating.
I agree with you. Thank heavens someone\’s posted a bad review of a Tornatore film. I haven\’t actually seen this one, but I\’m going to now. I found this review after searching for any negative critiques of Cinema Paradiso or The Star Maker, both of which I absolutely detest!!!
I consider myself to be a fairly well-educated person and after reading the review of this movie I would like to say that in the beginning I thought is this really worth watching but then I became so intrigued that I couldn\’t stop and when I got to the end I thought you\’ve got to be kidding! You would have to watch it to see what I mean. I don\’t see many movies but this one definitely held my attention and that\’s hard for me because I can\’t concentrate on one thing for very long time .
This is an utterly immature review containing wrong сonclusions. Obviously the main character invited people who became close to him to the restaurant and paid for them, so that Robert dined there along with him comes by no surprise.
I also just watched this and found it fantastic. This review is the review of an overly critical and hard to please idiot. A masterpiece of a film. Watch it!
I have just seen this film and I totally loved it. The subject of art deals seemed boring to me in the beginning. In time I realised it actually symbolised a part of who Mr Art Dealer was as a person. He loved true beauty but all true beauty he surrounded himself with was dead (art). When he got in touch with the dead beauty represented by someone alive, he slowly started seeing her as those beautiful paintings he admired in his secret room. She was a mysterious women in a secret room, a room like his secret room full of perfect, priceless beauty.She became his secret love. Who betrayed him and his secret attraction to beauty in arts? Who engineered the conspiracy to trick him? whoever that was, this person knew him very well and that is why it all worked so smoothly. I very much enjoyed the images portraying the outer and the inner beauty and the mechanics without the soul. The soul represented by the feelings was the missing bit that he could not consult. Why? Because he was too focused on the value of the piece and the value of the deal made. There is so much more in this film it is almost impossible for me to mention all aspects in this post. See the film and look carefully – you can see so much more.
I read all the great reviews and really looked forward to watching The Best Offer. This review exactly captures my view of the movie. My wife walked out, but I stuck it out. It got off to a reasonable start but the weight of the endless silly plot contrivances destroys any attempt to take it seriously. I suspect the acting seemed so stiff because the actors couldn\’t believe in the project. Geoffrey Rush was marginally believable but his performance drowned in the laughable script and ponderous pace of the whole affair. I will be reading Jessica\’s reviews before I waste hours on another pretentious dud like this. Oh the photography was good and the setting compelling. Too bad the rest didn\’t match up.
This review is spot on. Yes, we all loved Cinema Paradiso, but this movie was a hot mess, and too many critics graded this one on a curve. Jessica K got it right.
STOP THE FILM AT 1:45:48 RIGHT WHEN THEY SAY I LOVE YOU!
End it there and turn off the television! DO NOT watch the end!
TRUST ME, even though you will leave some holes like the automatron, it would be FAR BETTER than the alternative of watching the final 15 minutes!
After 1:45:48 (1 hour, 45 minutes in), the movie changes drastically from the beautiful, mysterious romance that it was the majority of the movie, into a dismal, HORRIBLE, tragic, miserable movie that leaves me with a sick feeling in my stomach and makes me tremendously angry and uneasy about it.
I rewound the movie back to the scene where he shows her his collection room, and watched that scene a few times in a row, ending with the "I love you"s. It left me feeling a little better, but the damage is done and the final few minutes of this movie have ruined it forever for me.
Minus the final 15 minutes of the movie, this is a wonderful and brilliant work of art. The story was built up to a happily ever after, but the end they decided leaves you feeling like you have been stabbed in the gut, betrayed by your best friend.
Until the final 15 minutes, I was going to put this movie at the very top of my favorite movies of all time. Sadly, the movie is utterly ruined, and there is nothing to be done to save it, minus simply deleting the final minutes of the movie and leaving you hanging on the plot.
The writer must be a miserable, groveling piece of shit who is angry at the world and hates everyone, even the idea of love. I hate this writer for damaging this beautiful fantasy that for the first hour and 45 minutes I considered to be one of the most wonderful, beautiful, mesmerizing, lovely, fantastic works of art I have ever seen.
Please note, that by "writer", I am referring to the writer of this movie. I completely understand why the author of this review feels so angry at this movie; although the review did not give the movie the credit it deserves for the majority of the movie.
STOP THE FILM AT 1:45:48 RIGHT WHEN THEY SAY I LOVE YOU!
TRUST ME, even though you will leave some holes like the automatron, it would be FAR BETTER than the alternative of watching the final 15 minutes!
After 1:45:48 (1 hour, 45 minutes in), the movie changes drastically from the beautiful, mysterious romance that it was the majority of the movie, into a dismal, HORRIBLE traffic, miserable movie that leaves me with a sick feeling in my stomach and makes me very angry.
I rewound the movie back to the scene where he shows her his collection room, and watched that scene a few times in a row, ending with the "I love you"s. It left me feeling a little better, but the damage is done and the final few minutes of this movie have ruined it forever for me.
Minus the final 15 minutes of the movie, this is a wonderful and brilliant work of art. The story was built up to a happily ever after, but the end they decided leaves you feeling like you have been stabbed in the gut, betrayed by your best friend.
Until the final 15 minutes, I was going to our this movie at the very top of my favorite movies of all time. Sadly, the movie is utterly ruined, and there is nothing to be done to save it, minus simply deleting the final minutes of the movie and leaving you hanging on the plot.
The writer must be a miserable, groveling piece of shit who is angry at the world and hates everyone, even the idea of love. I hate this writer for damaging the beautiful fantasy that for the first hour and 45 minutes I considering to be one of the most wonderful, beautiful, mesmerizing, lovely, fantastic works of art I have ever seen.
Please note, that by "writer", I am referring to the writer of this movie. I completely understand why the author of this review feels so angry at this movie, although the review did not give the movie the credit it deserves for the majority of the movie.
One of the best reviews on a movie. an overcooked and overdone movie made by the director of cinema paradiso!! Like the fake arts in the movie, the movie itself is a fake ..
The movie was worth watching, the performances were superb. There were some scenes that made me think about these questions that I discussed with some of my students, very thought-provoking questions: 1- Why this secret room was hidden behind the gloves compartment? 2- Why in the last scene he and people are surrounded by clocks? 3- Doesn't it imply that all of us, with or without important scenarios, are insignificant in time or are we being devoured by time? When the camera zoomed out I had this feeling that we are drowning in the depth of time somehow. I believe that paying attention to more details gives us the clue for enjoying the movie better.
I agree with Anne and Richard and everyone else who loved the movie. I would recommend it to anyone that wants to watch an amazing, impressive movie . The end felt a little too sad to me , but at least he was not alone at the table , but waiting for someone…:)
I cannot believe how superficial this article is and how someone like Jessica Kiang that I never heard of, is allowed to make such a statement , that this film is a low in the director's career. Almost disgusting to read such garbage about a film that is a masterpiece.
But I agree, one needs a bit of education, both emotional and intellectual to be able to see and understand it.
I totally disagree. I think this is a wonderful film, the acting is superb by Mr Rush. He is the centre of the film and carries it well. He develops his character slowly and subtly. There is something called artistic license. Do we absolutely have to know where the film takes place? My family and I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and found much to discuss about it.
For some reason, there is a campaign against this film.
It's not unbelievable that Virgil believes the story of the girl, he was raised by nuns, and never had any interaction with women. He didn't even care. The same goes for the girls side. His first boyfriend was older than her, and never had any other relationship. It's understandable that she does not have the preconceptions about age difference in a romance. You could argue that the movie sometimes explaines a little bit more than it needs to, but I feel it's a good choice considering there are that many incapable "critique" people out there…
Perhaps the most ignorant, stupid, and insensitive review I've ever read. Try another line of work.
Poor review that could cause one to miss an adult film. Don't ever miss a chance to see Rush act.
I'll disagree too… I caught this the other night and enjoyed it quite a bit. Solid acting, great music, beautiful settings and details throughout.
I also wish to extend my accolades to this beautiful picture from Maestro Tornatore.
I also strongly disagree with this article. The Best Offer is absolutely worth seeing. Don't not see it because of this. It's dope, one of the best of 2013.
I don't agree with you J.K. !!!
– IMO Tornarore's "The Best Offer" is one of the best movies of 2013. I've watched it a couple of months ago, and even after I've seen "the contenders" of this year's awards season, I still have high consideration for his movie, and I think it's being treated unfairly by the critics. When I first saw it, it gave me the idea as Italy's submission for Best Foreign Language film, but after I saw Sorrentino's "The Great Beauty", it seemed fair that they opted for that one, since I find "The Best Offer" more "Art-House" stuff than "Mainstream". You marked "The Best Offer" as a low point on Tornatore's carrier, but I find it a return to form for him. He makes his magic with "The Best Offer" by combining mystery-drama and romance in a movie that it's not very easy to follow, you simply just can't afford to take your eyes away, cuz if you miss a small detail, that can cost you a lot of troubles catching-up with the story. The cast does a fantastic job, I have to single out Rush, who was the "ideal" actor to portray this character. Master Morricone leaves his mark with another brilliant score.
– Anyway Jessica, just my opinion, keep up the good work !!!
Cheers !!!
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