Slight, but tasty commedia all'italiana from Ettore Scola, something of a two-hander (with interruptions by guests) for Marcello Mastroianni and Massimo Troisi as absentee father and son at the tail end of compulsory military service, spending an awkward day trying to find something that holds them together. Breaking out in petty squabbles on every subject, but always drifting back to walk thru an amusement park, take a short movie break, meet the current temporary girlfriend (‘how’s the kid in the sack?’), confess to marital problems, dangle a car & Rome apartment as proof of affection, order the whole menu at a waterfront seafood place (looks fabulous!), just be sure to never get below the surface. That is until the day’s almost over and they stop at Troisi’s regular joint, a bar to make CHEERS look impersonal, where Mastroianni is quietly devastated watching his son take and give so much pleasure as long as Dad is out of the picture. After all the obvious embarrassment of merely being together, and his high-handed controlling manner (Mastroianni unable to shut it down for more than five minutes), the realization of years wasted is crushing. There’s another quick reproachment as they wait for the train to start up, but we know this too will be temporary. Lucky if it can make it thru the end credits. Scola, last in the line of great post Neo-Realist Golden Age Italian filmmakers, knows just how to set a proper strolling pace and how to walk up to, but not cross into caricature. Especially impressive holding Mastroianni back since it’s more of an Alberto Sordi role. While Troisi, known Stateside from IL POSTINO/’94 where he looks like a spectral ghost (he died of a heart condition hours after finishing the shoot), nails his slow-burn resistance without a false step. The truths in here may be a little obvious, but the payoff unexpectedly moving. NOTE: The title: ‘What’s the time?’ refers to a family heirloom given to Troisi, Granddad’s pocket watch.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Scola appears to get his angles wrong on a series of reverse shots between father & son till you realize Troisi is suddenly noticing how much his father’s face has aged since he last spent time with him. How typical of Mastroianni to confidently go along with the deconstruction.
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