1 hr 30 min – Unrated – In Italian with English subtitles. In The Salt of Life, Gianni (Gianni Di Gregorio) plays a middle-aged retiree who has become invisible to all distaff Romans, regardless of age or relation. He contends with an aristocratic, spendthrift mother (Valeria de Franciscis); a wife who is more patronizing friend than romantic partner; a daughter with a slacker boyfriend whom Gianni unwillingly befriends; and a wild young neighbor who sees him merely as her dog walker. Gianni tries his polite, utterly gracious best to generate some kind of extracurricular love life-with both hilarious and poignant results. If you like Italian comedies, don’t miss this latest film by the writer, director and star of “Mid-August Lunch.” “The movie's sensuous appreciation of ripeness and abundance extends to food, clothing and foliage; the lushness of a city (Rome) in bloom virtually bursts from the screen.” –Stephen Holden, N.Y. Times.
