Mascarpone (2021)

Directed by Alessandro Guida & Matteo Pilati. Starring Giancarlo Commare, Gianmarco Saurino, Eduardo Valdarini, Michela Guraud, Carlo Calderone, Lorenzo Adorni, Alberto Paradossi, Fabio Fappiano.

After being given the heave-ho by his spouse, ex-“kept husband” Commare has to pick up the pieces, find meaning in his life, and learn that being single isn’t so bad. A lightweight trifle, gently amusing and modestly pleasing, neither notable nor disposable. The protagonist’s friends—flamboyant roommate Valdarini and supportive best friend Guraud—pick up the slack where Commare’s limited screen presence leaves off, and the film would have benefited from less-obvious baking metaphors (Commare meets a potential new lover while apprenticing at a pastry school). Commare and the actor playing the would-be lover (Gianmarco Saurino) make their film acting debuts; it’s also directors Alessandro Guida and Matteo Pilati’s first feature.

61/100