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Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro, Luciano Federico, Matilde Piana, Pietro Notarianni ... see more see more... , Gaetano Aronica , Gilberto Idonea , Adele Daniele , Giovanna Litrico , Gianluca Guarrera , Michel Bramanti , Angelo Pellegrino , Daniele Arena , Domenico Gennaro , Elisa Morucci , Gabriella Di Luzio , Giovanni Litrico , Maria Terranova , Pippo Provvidenti , Vitalba Andrea

A young man's infatuation for a beautiful older woman blooms amidst the outbreak of World War II in this bittersweet comedy-drama from Italy. Renato (Giuseppe Sulfaro) is a 13-year-old boy growing up ... read more read more...in a small Sicilian community. Mussolini has risen to power and has declared war upon England and France, but Renato has other things on his mind -- mostly girls. While hanging out with his friends by the seashore, Renato spies Malèna (Monica Bellucci), the daughter of one of his schoolteachers, whose husband Nino (Gaetano Aronica) is fighting with Mussolini's army. Renato is immediately obsessed with Malèna and follows her like a lost puppy, spying on her whenever circumstances permit and imagining her as his co-star in elaborate erotic fantasies inspired by his favorite movies. Renato, however, is hardly the only man in town to be struck by Malèna's charms, and her beauty leads to resentment from the women of the community. Malèna's circumstances take a turn for the worst after her husband is reported to have died in combat, and she is forced to resort to prostitution to survive; she is brutally attacked by a pack of angry matrons and driven from town. Renato tries to keep track of her, and has some less than encouraging news to report when Nino turns out to be alive and finds his spouse is missing. Malèna was written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, best known for the art-house hit Nuovo Cinema Paradiso; Malèna was released in Europe at 106 minutes, while the American version was edited by ten minutes to tighten the pace and remove nudity and sexual material considered too strong for the U.S. marketplace. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

84% liked it

28,032 ratings

Critics

55% liked it

76 critics

R, 1 hr. 46 min.

Directed by: Giuseppe Tornatore

Release Date: December 25, 2000

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DVD Release Date: July 10, 2001

Stats: 1,598 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,598)

  • ajaymuthecooldevils
    July 19, 2009
    ajaymuthecooldevils
    I must give another thumbs up for Guiseppe Tornatore for making another great and memorable movie titled Malena... Especially he make the right cast for putting Monica Bellucci as the beautiful Malena and Guiseppe Sulfaro as Renato... An extra credit for Sulfaro for Renato that g... read morereat... He looks like a boy who obsessed with Malena... Overall, it's a nice movie to be watched... But still for me, Cinema Paradiso is Tornatore's best...
  • kiriyamakazou
    May 2, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    Malena is another heartfelt tale of growing up from director Tornatore. It shows a young boys first love/lust as he falls for a woman in his home town. All the men love her and all the women hate her. What starts as vicious rumours and wolf whistles soon turns more tragic. We alw... read moreays see Malena from the perspective of our protagonist, so you would think she wouldn't be developed well. This is kind of true. We never get to see the real Malena, but we do begin to feel for the the way the young boy does. This does build up an emotional connection and makes it even more traumatic when things turn sour. Unfortunately, the film stalls after a while. There are constant scenes of Malena walking and us hearing peoples comments about her. There are plenty of scenes showing the boy following her and fantasizing about her. It all gets rather stale, but at least the end starts changing things around. It's a wonderfully sexy film and one that does sum up adolescence rather well, but at the same time shows how repetitive and uneventful it is.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    October 28, 2008
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    Renato Amoroso: "I pedaled as fast as I could... as if I were escaping from longing, from innocence, from her. Time has passed, and I have loved many women. And as they've held me close... and asked if I will remember them I've said, "Yes, I will remember you." But the only on... read moree I've never forgotten is the one who never asked... Malena."

    A young man's infatuation for a beautiful older woman blooms amidst the outbreak of World War II in this bittersweet comedy-drama from Italy. Renato (Giuseppe Sulfaro) is a 13-year-old boy growing up in a small Sicilian community. Mussolini has risen to power and has declared war upon England and France, but Renato has other things on his mind -- mostly girls. While hanging out with his friends by the seashore, Renato spies Malèna (Monica Bellucci), the daughter of one of his schoolteachers, whose husband Nino (Gaetano Aronica) is fighting with Mussolini's army. Renato is immediately obsessed with Malèna and follows her like a lost puppy, spying on her whenever circumstances permit and imagining her as his co-star in elaborate erotic fantasies inspired by his favorite movies. Renato, however, is hardly the only man in town to be struck by Malèna's charms, and her beauty leads to resentment from the women of the community. Malèna's circumstances take a turn for the worst after her husband is reported to have died in combat, and she is forced to resort to prostitution to survive; she is brutally attacked by a pack of angry matrons and driven from town. Renato tries to keep track of her, and has some less than encouraging news to report when Nino turns out to be alive and finds his spouse is missing.

    Review
    I vividly remember seeing this film for the first time about six years ago when I was just a little young 'un and the version was dubbed and most of the scenes was edited. It was the time where I watched movies and skipped the talking parts and went straight to nude scenes and such. Don't blame me, blame the raging hormones I had at that time.

    So anyway, I was foraging for DVD's not too long ago and I found a copy of this film, immediately I was taken back to Memory Lane and I knew I had to buy this one.

    Well, after watching it for the second time (no I didn't skip to the nude scenes), I was amazed. What an amazing film. I laugh at my childhood self for not appreciating such a great film (well, can't blame him, it was the raging hormones *winkwink*). This film is touching and beautiful, the story is without a doubt one of the best that was interpreted on screen. My hats off to Giuseppe Tornatore, the director who also made 1988's Cinema Nuovo Paradiso for making such an ethereal movie experience.

    Monica Bellucci, the most beautiful woman who walked on Earth, gave a stellar performance although she only spoke a couple of times. Being in a film as a lead and barely even speaking is a tough act to achieve, you have to rely on your body language and facial expressions to convey such a tremendous character and yet she did it like a pro. The kid, Giuseppe Sulfaro on the other hand also gave a wonderful performance and yes, I envy the lucky bastard for seeing Monica's hot bod in the nude.

    Another amazing factor is the music of Ennio Morricone, the Danny Elfman-Hans Zimmer-John Williams combined of Italy. Malena is the perfect coming-of-age story, I suggest you go see it.
  • bookmunki
    October 12, 2008
    bookmunki
    beautifully shot coming of age tale. this is also the story of a woman, a war, and a sicilian town. how envious people can be of beauty that they are compelled to destroy it.
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    February 9, 2008
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    Gorgeously shot, critically underrated Italian gem.
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    January 16, 2008
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    Very good movie. When 12-year-old Renato, riding through his small Italian town on his new bicycle, sees the voluptuous Malèna, little does he know he's launching on an infatuation that will carry him through the tumultuous days of World War II. Malèna begins as an enraptured dep... read moreiction of Renato's adolescent mind the way he stares, hypnotized, at Malèna's garters pressing through the material of her tight skirt, or his frustrated rebellion against the indignity of wearing short pants--but soon transforms into a portrait of small-town prejudice. Malèna's looks spark lust and envy in the townspeople; when her husband dies in combat, the gossip only intensifies, to the point that Malèna is dragged into court to defend herself against accusations of adultery. When the women of the town refuse to sell her edible food at the market, Malèna has little choice but to become what she's been unjustly accused of being. At the end, a twist of fate turns this tale of longing and jealousy into a heartbreaking love story. Monica Bellucci exudes the can't-help-it eroticism that makes Malèna such a lightning rod for everyone's desires; she's like a more zaftig Isabelle Adjani. The movie seems to wander at times, but the ending has a powerful emotional impact.
  • pier007
    June 7, 2007
    pier007
    Tornatore gets weak in character development, but in spite of that he manages to make an entertaining and touching film. Morricone's soundtrack and the presence of the gorgeous Monica Bellucci are the best presentation cards.
  • binky013
    August 30, 2006
    binky013
    Sabina and Julie make this woman sound out of this world. They're right; Bellucci is stunning, both visually and as an actress.

    Eleven years later, Tornatore revives the spirit of Cinema Paradiso to a certain extent. But this is not Paradiso. Still, it's muc

    ... read moreh better than the redone Paradiso.
  • Fascade518
    September 16, 2008
    Fascade518
    An adventure that a 13 year old boy experiences with his "crush" Malena...
    See this...it is a lesson on the blessings or the curse of being admired or hated as the town beauty.
  • xas5
    September 3, 2011
    xas5
    A sexy and fun foreign coming-of-age story about one boy's obsession and a town and its rumors. Malena is both painstakingly beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time, delivering a love story with a punch. Monica Bellucci embodies the character and ultimately makes this film w... read moreork as well as it does.

View All Malena Reviews

Critic Reviews

Richard Schickel
February 7, 2001
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine

Bereft of the more richly textured sentiments of Tornatore's Cinema Paradiso. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
February 7, 2001
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

[Tornatore] eludes sentimentality with a romantic vision wide enough to embrace the range of human experience. Full Review

David Rooney
February 7, 2001
David Rooney, Variety

Despite Bellucci's strong presence in a role with little dialogue, the central character never really comes alive in any way interesting enough to give her ordeal much genuine pathos. Full Review

Joe Baltake
February 2, 2001
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

Like so many movies these days, Maléna is a jumble of ideas from earlier films. Full Review

Jay Boyar
February 2, 2001
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

Its heart is in the right place.

Kevin Maynard
February 2, 2001
Kevin Maynard, Mr. Showbiz

Transparently misogynist at its core.

James Berardinelli
February 2, 2001
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

An affecting coming-of-age story. Full Review

February 2, 2001
Houston Chronicle

The result is like a bad novel in which the personalities and feelings of the characters are described to us rather than revealed through what they do. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
February 2, 2001
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

[Bellucci] has presence, maybe even talent, but you wish that Malena's inner life had been given as much accent as her outer charms. Full Review

Susan Stark
February 2, 2001
Susan Stark, Detroit News

Funny as it is sobering. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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