Tea with Mussolini

1999 Comedy Drama

Based in part on his autobiography, director Franco Zeffirelli's Tea With Mussolini is a drama with comic accents about a group of British and American travelers on an indefinite visit to Italy in 1935, when, as one character puts it, "Mussolini was just a man who made the trains run on time." Luca (played by Charlie Lucas) is a boy living in Florence whose family situation is precarious at best; his mother has died and his father has little time for him. Fortunately, he's a welcome guest with Mary (Joan Plowright), a English woman visiting Italy to soak up European culture. Mary and her friends -- high-toned Lady Hester (Maggie Smith), pretentious Arabella (Judi Dench), American art collector Elsa (Cher) and cheerful lesbian Georgie (Lily Tomlin) -- enjoy the cultured, creative atmosphere of life in Italy, and their initial response to the rise of fascism is to arrange a polite meeting with Mussolini to make sure he and his soldiers mean well. After some time, Luca's father becomes concerned that the boy is soaking up too much British influence and enrolls him in a boarding school in Austria; by the time 1940 rolls around, situations have changed radically for everyone. more..

Director: Franco Zeffirelli

Starring: Cher, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith, Lily Tomlin

Reviews

  • It's warm, spontaneous and heartfelt. Zeffirelli cared about his memories, and he's done justice to them.

    Mick LaSalle - The San Francisco Chronicle

    27 April 2013

  • The movie seemed the stuff of anecdote, not drama, and as the alleged protagonist, Luca/Franco is too young much of the time to play more than a bystander's role.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    27 April 2013

  • The movie is so aggressively ingratiating that it's probably not to be fully trusted, yet it works suprisingly well on its own limited terms

    Mike Clark - USA Today

    27 April 2013

  • Zeffirelli's mawkish tendencies are checked by Mortimer's funny, richly observant screenplay; it's rose-tinted but plays up character and everyday detail rather than wallowing in war-movie villainy.

    - Empire

    27 April 2013

  • And while the divas make their characters hugely entertaining, they're also such high profile actresses in such a soft-edged film that it's hard to actually worry about what's to become of them.

    Maitland McDonagh - TV Guide

    27 April 2013

Awards

  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

    BAFTA Awards (2000)

  • Best Drama

    Golden Trailer Awards (1999)

     
  • Best Period Hair Styling - Feature

    Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards (2000)

  • Best Costume Design (Migliori Costumi)

    Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists (2000)