Friday, March 8, 2024

Habemus Papam (2011)


HABEMUS PAPAM  (2011)  ¢ ¢ 1/2
    D: Nanni Moretti
    Michel Piccoli, Nanni Moretti, Jerzy Stuhr,
    Roberto Nobile, Renato Scarpa, Franco Graziosi, 
    Camillo Milli, Gianlucca Gobbi, Margharita Buy
A newly elected pope upsets the Vatican apple cart when he cracks up just as he's about to step onto the balcony in Saint Peter's Square. Things get a little more complicated when he slips away and starts wandering around Rome on his own. That's a promising setup and the production values are impressive (all those red hats), but the payoff is limited. Scenes play out and end without really going anywhere, which leaves you wondering what's the point. Michel Piccoli plays the reluctant pontiff. Traipsing around the city in civilian clothes, he almost looks happy. Decked out in papal vestments, he looks like he's carrying the weight of the world. Mostly, he just looks befuddled.