A Charming Road Movie — With Plenty More Than One for the Road

The idea for the entertaining new Italian comedy “The Last One for the Road” began, apropos of its English title, with a night out drinking. Director Francesco Sossai has stated in interviews how he and a close friend were getting smashed about ten years ago in Venice when they met an architecture student, an event that inspired the film’s buddy movie premise and intergenerational theme. Charmingly meandering, its story of two slightly disreputable middle-aged men befriending an uptight college kid swerves with comic digressions, philosophical tangents, and sidetrips into sentimentality — very much of a piece, you could say, with the experience of being on a bender. Like many a buddy comedy, the freewheeling film is also a road movie, with Italy’s northern Veneto region crisscrossed over a couple of days and nights. One could almost say it represents a love letter to the region if not for the fact that its most famous destinations, Venice and Verona, are barely, if at all, portrayed. What the camera most focuses on is the region’s Dolomite-edged plains, with agricultural and industrial locales bordering ever-encroaching suburbs. Mr. Sossai and his cinematographer alternate between picturing the area as enchanting or desolate, aligning their imagery with the art of the capriccio, or fantastical landscape using real landmarks and rustic scenery. The film’s whimsical quality further connects it to the Italian word, which can also mean caprice or eccentricity. While whimsicality sets the tone, the main melody is rock ‘n’ roll, with its two lovable rascals’ sense of freedom, frequent bar scenes, and soundtrack reflecting a rebellious, live-for-today credo. At times, the latter element dips into sad folkiness, both revealing the characters’ depression and how alcohol can make even the most flippant person maudlin. During these melancholy moments, Mr. Sossai and his co-screenwriter Adriano Candiago mix themes of economic downturn and the cruelty of aging into their story, guaranteeing that the carefree, warm spirit their older characters hold onto appears even sweeter in contrast to their dwindling prospects.Our two middle-aged protagonists are mustached, unpredictable Carlobianchi and paunchy, easygoing Dori. Both are drunkards and, at the film’s start, have fallen asleep in a car at a nighttime red light. After waking to the horn of another car, both decide to grab yet another drink. We soon learn that they intend to pick up their old friend, Genio, at one of Venice’s airports, though with the flight not due to arrive until 11am the next day, their “one last drink” turns into an all-nighter of boozing, carousing, and trying to remember a particular anecdote and its secret-to-life wisdom. If one can get over how Carlobianchi is driving while intoxicated, the film generates immediate amusement. Scenes of the two at a roadside honky tonk bar, racing past a police traffic stop, and even conversing quietly (while avoiding said police) fill us in on their individual personalities and the midlife crises underlying their antics. Upon arriving in Venice, the two meet some college students out partying, including Guilio. An architecture student, the young man just wishes to go home since he has a design review the next morning. But the loveable rakes cajole him into tagging along as they have another round, converse, occasionally eat, drink a lot more, and generally drive around the area the next day. Beyond depression, a key theme to emerge during their jaunt is the destructive modernization and homogenization of Europe, particularly the American cultural influence, which is both critiqued and indulged by the filmmakers. In addition to music, the influence of the U.S. shows up in the film’s Hollywood-like story arc, road trip tropes, and moments that recall the work of Hal Ashby and Robert Altman, among other American directors. Still Mr. Sossai’s shambolic tale feels fresh, being uniquely attuned to the local culture of the Veneto region and its characters’ need for escape and connection.As Guilio, the young Italian actor Filippo Scotti (“The Hand of God”) represents a discreetly compelling foil to his more assertive — and buzzed — counterparts. His eye for architecture and design is mirrored at times in the cinematography’s angular framing and even becomes a part of the narrative when, near the end, the three visit the Brion Tomb designed by local hero and renowned 20th-century architect Carlo Scarpa. His knowledge also proves providential during the film’s climax and during an earlier, hilarious segment when the three impersonate surveyors at a faded Italian villa owned by a count.Having never acted before, Pierpaolo Capovilla brings a devil-may-care demeanor and unstudied naturalism to the character of Dori that’s immensely appealing. And as Carlobianchi, or “Charlie White” as his pal occasionally calls him, thespian Sergio Romano captivates with his edgy energy and levity, while also hinting at barely contained despair in moments. At one point, the character explains the concept of marginal utility to Guilio using a slice of sausage, and this scene perfectly encapsulates the film’s philosophical inquiry, quirkiness, and charm, shot with rolling hills in the background.If the final scene states its pat message too obviously, everything that comes before it is engaging, jocose, and even touching. Carlobianchi and Dori may be middle-aged losers, but their irreverent attitudes and genuine kindness ultimately inspire Guilio to come out of his shell. A new friendship is born, and a discursive, wobbly picaresque picture ends up being fondly remembered.

A Charming Road Movie — With Plenty More Than One for the Road

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