Pinocchio (2020)

Starring: Federico Ielapi, Roberto Benigni, Rocco Papaleo, Massimo Ceccherini, Marine Vacth, Gigi Proietti, Paolo Graziosi, Massimiliano Gallo
Directed by: Matteo Garrone
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
2020

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A poor woodcarver (Roberto Benigni) carves a beautiful puppet that comes to life.

Review:

Tim: Matteo Garrone's take on Pinocchio is an interesting one. It's certainly a long cry from the most famous (Disney) version. I really appreciated the attempt here- Pinocchio is a world-famous character, but his origins are from an Italian writer. To see Italians offer their take on the famous story is well worth seeing. Garrone's movie also adheres much closer to the 1883 original text. This isn't a Disney movie. It's not meant to feel good. It's a dark, twisted, occasionally difficult film to watch. It offers a widely different spin on the story than most American audiences are used to. I appreciate things that are in line with how they were originally intended, so I was pretty excited to see this version of the story.

Here's the problem, though. This movie isn't that good. That is disappointing, but true. Yes, the movie achieves what it sets out to achieve- this is a dark version of Pinocchio's story. There's a lot of betrayals. Pinocchio himself is literally hung on a noose. There's bad characters aplenty. The story is told in this mature, dark manner, exactly as intended. The movie is just not that well made. There's absolutely no reason for a PG-13 version of Pinocchio to be 2 hours and 5 minutes long. The movie has multiple soft spots and eventually starts to feel redundant. Pinocchio does have a character arc, but it takes so long for him to make it. What starts out as new and interesting eventually settles into a plodding, creeping story. This undermines any momentum the film tries to build.

The other big issue is that none of the characters feel all that relatable. Gepetto is a great character but mostly seems like a simple fool in this version. Pinocchio himself is more annoying than anything else. I'm not talking about performances of the cast yet, I'm just hitting the portrayal of the characters. I didn't feel any emotion for Pinocchio. I watched him make a series of bad decisions, pay the consequences, and yet learn so slowly and so little. It eventually gets frustrating. I started to wonder what all the fuss was about this character. The story is strangely devoid of emotion.

Now, technically, the film is beautiful. I do want to stress that. The makeup effects are stunning. The movie was nominated for two Academy Awards- Best Makeup & Hairstyling and Best Costume Design. I didn't think the movie was very good, but it was beautifully crafted from a visual perspective. Pinocchio's look and feel is incredible- it really does look like a puppet has come to life. The diverse cast of characters are all rendered in their own visual style. It's haunting and occasionally nightmarish, but Garrone had a very clear vision for how the film should look and he delivered on that. Even when I was bored with the story or unmoved by the characters, I marveled at the beautiful visuals. This is certainly the chief reason to see this movie.

I wasn't a huge fan of the cast. I really like Roberto Benigni, most because I loved Life is Beautiful many, many years ago. I think he makes a fine Gepetto, bringing some lived-in humanity to the role. His part is fairly small, though. He kicks off the movie but mostly disappears. Still, his supporting performance was one of the highlights. I can't say I loved Federico Ielapi's performance. On the one hand, it's stunning that so young an actor was asked to carry so much of the film. He really does have a lot on his shoulders and he's mostly believable in the role. The problem is that I felt zero connection to his character. Some of this might be the makeup covering his emotions. A lot of it must be how Garrone presented the character. But, Ielapi does need to take some level of criticism. He never gives us a reason to care about Pinocchio. He's a selfish, spoiled puppet who doesn't listen and isn't that intelligent. Why should we become invested in his character? I couldn't find a reason. If Ielapi conveyed more emotion, I might have been able to. Rocco Papaleo and Massimo Ceccherini were quite good as the Cat and the Fox. Their performances are frightening, absurd, and funny. They convey a lot in these small roles and emerged as some of the more memorable parts of the movie. The rest of the cast felt mostly average to me. I wouldn't say I walked away from this film feeling especially inspired by the cast.

I have to say, I was mostly disappointed in this version of Pinocchio. The idea was brilliant, the visuals were stunning, but the movie itself is strangely hollow. It wears on you. It's not a film I have any desire to ever see again. I understand how the movie garnered two technical Academy Awards, but I can't believe it was ever really a contender. It's a decent film, yes, but not a good one.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Pinocchio (1940), Life is Beautiful