2023-12-26 18:31:47
by Aldo Grasso
The six-part comedy, an adaptation of the French drama «Alphonse», lacks the rhythm of the story, the strength of the dialogue, the irony. But it can count on two formidable performers
Christian De Sica and Pietro Sermonti in «Gigolo by chance». I was convinced it was the remake of John Turturro’s 2013 film starring Woody Allen. I wanted to understand how Jewish comedy could be translated into the jargon of Italian comedy. I caught a crab, one of the blue ones that infest the Adriatic Sea. «Gigolo by chance» is a six-part miniseries written by Daniela Delle Foglie and Tommaso Renzone and directed by Eros Puglielli (Prime video).
Brief plot, so you know what you’re getting into: Alfonso (Sermonti) is a champion of mediocrity, conciliatory, overwhelmed by the clichés that mark even personal relationships, he works at a luxury watch shop belonging to Gravieri (Greg) frequented by disreputable people. One morning, he receives a call from a hospital from which he learns that his father Giacomo Bremer (De Sica) has died. Relations between the two are not good, the son reproaches his father for numerous betrayals which would have made his mother move away, but duty calls: fortunately the father has not “passed away”, as he had been told, but lives. Except that he can no longer do a profitable job: keeping elderly ladies company. To pay off the debts, the son is forced to take over his father’s business, to put into practice the “Bremer method” (homage to the former Torino defender who now plays for another team).
As often happens, the series is based only on the skill of Sermonti and De Sica, despite a large cast of well-known names to whom, however, the writing assigns roles that are never incisive: Ambra Angiolini, Asia Argento, Frank Matano, Stefania Sandrelli, Gloria Guida, Isabella Ferrari and Virginia Raffaele. Three essential elements are missing from the comedy: the rhythm of the story (there are almost exasperating slownesses through which one always senses what will happen next), the strength of the dialogue (here, in fact, doesn’t Turturro’s «Gigolo by chance» teach anything?) and irony (diluted in comedy). Then from the end credits we learn that «Gigolo by chance» is an adaptation of the French series «Alphonse». Adaptation means sacrificing a remote good (if it ever exists) to an immediate need.
Corriere della Sera is also on Whatsapp. It’s enough click here to subscribe to the channel and always be updated.
December 26, 2023 (modified December 26, 2023 | 5:31 pm)
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
#Gigolo #chance #series #supported #SicaSermontiCorriere.it