Follemente (Madly) is an engaging romantic comedy with a twist presented in occasionally chaotic but ultimately entertaining ways. Very watchable.
On their first date, Piero (Edoardo Leo) meets Lara (Pilar Fogliati) at her apartment for a meal. Each one hopes that the other will prove attractive enough outside and in. And that in that case, the other will find them attractive enough so that more may follow. At the same time, both are acutely aware that they might unintentionally give the other an unfavourable impression that might ruin their chances.
So far so ordinary. What makes Follemente stand out is that while the outer dialogue goes on, two motley crews of four comedic characters each provide a running commentary; a group of rapidly ageing somewhat blasé men for Piero and an ensemble of comely ladies for Lara. For fans of Italian theatre, Luigi Pirandello's 1921 play Six Characters in Search of an Author (Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore) may come to mind.
As one might expect, the teasing and jousting of their inner critics among themselves keep Piero and Lara somewhat confused and occasionally slipping and sliding in Freudian ways.
Can any inner clarity and coherence be achieved in the outer-world under such turbulent inner circumstances? Will Piero and Lara stay the course? If so, will there be mutually satisfying sex on the first date?
Whatever the answers, Genovese's imagination approaches the subject in engaging ways, although the disorderly inner-voice ensembles can occasionally make it challenging for audiences to identify deeply with the two outer-world protagonists. Nonetheless, this is an intelligent feel-good romantic comedy with a bit of drama that keeps the audience engaged. A very watchable film, Follemente became a box-office-hit with cinema audiences in Italy.
