Il Divo (2009)
88%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
32 wins & 40 nominations total
While the web of corruption in this Italian political thriller can be hard for a non-native to follow, the visuals and the intrigue are compelling and thrilling in equal measure
Il Divo is a wild ride through the corrupt world of Italian politics, with Tony Servillo delivering a performance that’s so good, it’s like he’s been mummified in plaster of Paris. But don’t worry, this movie isn’t as dry as a history textbook – it’s full of flashy visuals and hilarious deadpan moments that will keep you entertained from start to finish. If you’re looking for a biopic that’s both familiar and completely unique, Il Divo is the movie for you. Just don’t blame us if you start dancing like a corrupt politician afterwards.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Music Box Films
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Via del Corso, Rome, Lazio, Italy
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2008
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 50m
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Language(s):Italian, English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 24, 2009 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 27, 2009
Genre(s)
Biography
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $11,260,366
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $15,510,724
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,806
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,691,464
US/Canada gross: $240,159
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $330,810
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,428
US/Canada opening weekend: $13,867
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $19,101
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,529
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): 5700000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $7,851,532
Production budget ranking: 1,758
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,228,050
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $3,431,142
ROI to date (est.): 28%
ROI ranking: 1,248
Anna Bonaiuto – Livia Danese
Piera Degli Esposti – Signora Enea
Paolo Graziosi – Aldo Moro
Giulio Bosetti – Eugenio Scalfari
Flavio Bucci – Franco Evangelisti
Director(s)
Paolo Sorrentino
Writer(s)
Paolo Sorrentino
Producer(s)
Francesca Cima, Nicola Giuliano, Andrea Occhipinti
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
32 wins & 40 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (51) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (4)
The film takes flight on the brilliant title performance by Tony Servillo (Gomorrah), who plays Andreotti like a mummified Alec Guinness, as if encased in layers of plaster of Paris.
August 23, 2009
Jonathan F. Richards
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
We may not know the man, but we know the dance, as seen in the highly diverting and hugely controversial Il Divo, a biopic as wly as its subject.
July 10, 2009 | Rating: 3.5/4
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
A stunning piece of work that feels both familiar and completely unique at the same time.
July 10, 2009
Brian Tallerico
Movie Retriever
TOP CRITIC
After I saw Il Divo, I suppose I should have felt indignation. I suppose I should also have felt that way after “The Godfather.” But such films present such mesmerizing figures that I simply regard them, astonished.
July 9, 2009 | Rating: 3.5/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
The enigmatic Andreotti is the perfect subject for a biopic in the European tradition.
June 30, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Kerry Lengel
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
All in all, this phenomenal film illustrates Alexis de Tocqueville’s observation that “The people get the government they deserve.” In both meanings of the word, Il Divo is sensational.
June 5, 2009 | Rating: 3.5/4
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
A more conventional filmmaker would be defeated by Andreotti’s murky history, but Sorrentino’s flamboyantly Baroque approach – full of dazzling visual flourishes worthy of Scorsese in his pomp – delivers an indelible portrait.
November 21, 2020
Jason Best
Movie Talk
Sumptuous filmmaking at its most flashiest, “Il Divo” may distance some people but I found it to be riveting.
January 17, 2020
Ard Vijn
ScreenAnarchy
A clever telling of the story about the epic levels of corruption in Italian public life that found the suitably opaque, vampiric presence of Andreotti at the centre of it.
February 1, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
PJ Nabarro
Patrick Nabarro
A fascinating history of recent Italian politics.
April 2, 2010 | Rating: 3.5/4
Wesley Lovell
Cinema Sight
… not so much a savage satire as one disenchanted with the institutional corruption of politics.
December 5, 2009
Sean Axmaker
Seanax.com
… Sorrentino avoids the dreary conventions of the biopic in favor of a cheeky mix of music montages, dramatic re-enactments and hilariously deadpan takes ….
September 11, 2009 | Rating: 7/10
Sarah Boslaugh
Playback:stl…
Plot
The story of Italian politician Giulio Andreotti, who has served as Prime Minister of Italy seven times since the restoration of democracy in 1946.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features Toni Servillo in a “brilliant title performance” as Giulio Andreotti, playing him like a “mummified Alec Guinness.”
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