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Malena

Play trailer Poster for Malena R 2000 1h 46m History Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
54% Tomatometer 78 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
In 1941, Renato was 13 years old and although the world was at war, nothing ever happened in this sleepy village in Sicily. Until the day he discovered something that would change his life forever... Malna, the beautiful young war widow who was the obsession of every man and the envy of every woman. Because of her, Renato will come to learn all of life's lessons and find himself in places he never could have imagined.
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Malena

Malena

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Critics Consensus

Malena ends up objectifying the character of the movie's title. Also, the young boy's emotional investment with Malena is never convincing, as she doesn't feel like a three-dimensional person.

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Critics Reviews

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Stanley Kauffmann The New Republic 01/08/2018
A film about Malena herself, her travails, the deep-reaching conclusion, would have been much more interesting and original, but Tornatore is mired in cliches. Go to Full Review Mick LaSalle San Francisco Chronicle 02/07/2001
4/4
[Tornatore] eludes sentimentality with a romantic vision wide enough to embrace the range of human experience. Go to Full Review Richard Schickel TIME Magazine 02/07/2001
2/5
Bereft of the more richly textured sentiments of Tornatore's Cinema Paradiso. Go to Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia 01/22/2024
5/10
It enjoys a certain Mediterranean beauty on the visual side, but not even the dazzling presence of Monica Bellucci prevents the coming-of-age fable from collapsing down common and boring paths. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Mark Steyn The Spectator 01/25/2018
Malena poses as a bounteously endowed, ripe, curvy Italian mamma, but metaphorically it's an undernourished cadaverous Kate Moss of a movie. Go to Full Review Michael Dequina TheMovieReport.com 02/15/2010
3/4
Malna barely speaks a word in the film, but Belucci makes a role that is written as a symbol into a full-blooded person. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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mitchell C. @mitch89014 Mar 29 Coming of age film with history involved Much better than most of the American films on the subject of youth and a woman’s choices and situations for survival See more Kent M @Colcat1 Feb 2 I was hoping for the genuine Malena. It was all fake and glossy. See more Zac C @Plurest Jan 26 I believed only half what they were saying. Waste of time See more Meteor M @LisaRemote Jan 20 Dog shit movie. Dog shit subject. Clearly a money laundering scheme. See more Zero T @RT82260318 Jan 12 A film of beautiful simplicity. Not made for the American market — viewers in South America, Europe, the Middle East, or Asia may understand it more instinctively. At its center is a silent, enigmatic woman about whom we know almost nothing, yet everyone has something to say. That contradiction is the point, and it’s handled brilliantly. For American audiences, the characters may feel distant or unfamiliar, even difficult to relate to. Malèna asks for a cultural and emotional literacy that goes beyond dialogue or plot. Those with a deep sensitivity to unspoken feelings, social cruelty, and quiet tragedy should give it a try. See more Fernando D @Maqroll Nov 11 Simplemente bellisima See more Read all reviews
Malena

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Cast & Crew

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Giuseppe Tornatore

Director

Monica Bellucci

Malèna Scordia

Giuseppe Sulfaro

Renato Amoroso

Luciano Federico

Padre di Renato

Matilde Piana

Madre di Renato

Pietro Notarianni

Professor Bonsignore

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Malena

Malena (2000) Malena (2000) Malena (2000) Malena (2000) Malena (2000) Monica Bellecci. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In 1941, Renato was 13 years old and although the world was at war, nothing ever happened in this sleepy village in Sicily. Until the day he discovered something that would change his life forever... Malna, the beautiful young war widow who was the obsession of every man and the envy of every woman. Because of her, Renato will come to learn all of life's lessons and find himself in places he never could have imagined.
Director
Giuseppe Tornatore
Producer
Carlo Bernasconi, Harvey Weinstein
Screenwriter
Giuseppe Tornatore
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Tele+, Miramax Films, Medusa Produzione, Pacific Pictures
Rating
R (Nudity|Language|Sexuality|Some Violence)
Genre
History, Drama, Romance
Original Language
Italian
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 25, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 15, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.4M
Runtime
1h 46m
Sound Mix
Surround
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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