Il Divo

Play trailer

Il Divo

2009,

1h 40m,

Biography/

History/

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

92%

51 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

2,500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

51 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Writer-director Paolo Sorrentino received the Cannes Jury Prize for his biopic of the fabled Italian politician Giulio Andreotti. The film covers a large portion of Andreotti's seven terms as prime minister of Italy, and concerns itself with the inner machinations of the man known as "Beelzebub," the intrigue surrounding the disappearance of his political enemies (including two-time prime minister Aldo Moro), and the role of the Mafia in postwar Italy.

Critics Consensus

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Jonathan F. Richards

Film.com

Aug 23, 2009

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.

Go to Full Review

Peter Howell

Toronto Star

Jul 10, 2009

3.5/4

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.

Go to Full Review

Brian Tallerico

Movie Retriever

Jul 10, 2009

A stunning piece of work that feels both familiar and completely unique at the same time.

Go to Full Review

Jason Best

Movie Talk

Nov 21, 2020

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.

Go to Full Review

Ard Vijn

ScreenAnarchy

Jan 17, 2020

Sumptuous filmmaking at its most flashiest, "Il Divo" may distance some people but I found it to be riveting.

Go to Full Review

PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

Feb 1, 2019

4/5

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.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Abraham M

Nov 12, 2018

For a movie where I only occasionally had a basic level of knowledge to follow what was going on-not a fault of the film's, nor of mine, but just an incompatibility of audience and art-I rarely was confused or entirely lost. As ambiguous, byzantine, and culturally contained as the political machinations may be, the story is nonetheless so compellingly filmed, convincingly performed and confidently shot, that the movie easily captures the viewer's attention and imagination, if not always their comprehension. In that way, the film in effect reflects its central subject, whose mild-mannered Machiavellianism seemed shrouded and overshadowed by the spectacle of his perpetual political prominence-"Il Divo" could just as easily be translated as "the celebrity" as it could "the divine"-the most effective way of concealing corruption being to stand in the spotlight, a point American leaders have taken note of, as well.

See more

Albus L

Jan 6, 2018

La bellezza di questo film contrasta con la il triste fatto che è troppo simile alla realtà dei fatti.

Read all reviews

Paolo Sorrentino

Director

Toni Servillo

Giulio Andreotti

Anna Bonaiuto

Livia Danese

Giulio Bosetti

Eugenio Scalfari

Flavio Bucci

Franco Evangelisti

Carlo Buccirosso

Paolo Cirino Pomicino

12

76%

74%

12

Watchlist

Revanche

96%

83%

Revanche

Watchlist

Reprise

87%

84%

Reprise

Watchlist

The Arbor

96%

74%

The Arbor

Watchlist

Terribly Happy

87%

73%

Terribly Happy

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Critics Consensus: Fighting Is Down For The Count

View more photos

Synopsis

Writer-director Paolo Sorrentino received the Cannes Jury Prize for his biopic of the fabled Italian politician Giulio Andreotti. The film covers a large portion of Andreotti's seven terms as prime minister of Italy, and concerns itself with the inner machinations of the man known as "Beelzebub," the intrigue surrounding the disappearance of his political enemies (including two-time prime minister Aldo Moro), and the role of the Mafia in postwar Italy.

Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Producer: Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima, Andrea Occhipinti
Screenwriter: Paolo Sorrentino
Distributor: Music Box Films
Production Co: Parco Film, Studio Canal, Centre National du Cinéma et de L'image Animée, Sky Cinema, Lucky Red, Babe Films, Eurimages, Arte France Cinema, Indigo Films
Genre: Biography, History, Drama
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 24, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 20, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $239.3K
Runtime: 1h 40m

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings