Review: Father, son and squandered potential in 'Made in Italy'

Art imitates life in "Made in Italy," in which father-son team Liam Neeson and Micheál Richardson play father and son duo Robert (Neeson) and Jack (Richardson). They've been emotionally estranged since the death of Robert's wife (Jack's mother) years prior; in real life, Neeson's wife and Richardson's mother Natasha Richardson died in 2009. 

It's fertile ground for a rich tale of emotional catharsis, but "Made in Italy" chooses to skim the surface rather than dig deep. It's a thin journey that never makes the most of its raw potential. 

Jack is a cash-strapped low-level player in the art world who refuses to sign the divorce papers he's been handed by his wife. He's at a standstill; he wants to buy the art gallery he runs with his soon-to-be-ex-, but his only valuable asset is the Tuscan home he owns with his father.  

He calls Robert and the two head off to their boarded-up home, which is in desperate need of an HGTV makeover. Together they go about fixing it up, and maybe even healing some of their old wounds along the way. 

"Made in Italy" marks the writing and directing debut of British actor James D'Arcy, who leans on a comic sensibility that often pushes into the realm of farce. When a pair of self-absorbed potential buyers show up to the house taking selfies and acting rude, "Made in Italy" begins to resemble a comedy sketch gone awry, and a too-easy plotline with a local restaurateur smacks of storytelling corner-cutting. 

Which is too bad, since Neeson — out of action hero mode — has a light, refreshing, down-to-earth air about him, and there is warmth in his scenes with his son. 

But D'Arcy squanders not only the father-son relationship but the natural beauty of his setting. Everything should be better in Tuscany. But in "Made in Italy" is a trip to sit out. 

'Made in Italy'

GRADE: C

Rated R: for language

Running time: 94 minutes

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