Luigi de Laurentiis Movies

Directed by Neri Parenti, Christmas in Miami stars Massimo Boldi as Ranuccio and Christian De Sica as Giorgio, friends whose wives have left them just before the titular holiday. The two head for sunny Miami in order to get away from their problems, and soon are involved in a number of sexual escapades. Giorgio must contend with the provocations of his daughter's underage friend, while Ranuccio embarrasses his son (Francesco Mandelli) who is himself attempting to score with the local ladies. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Rather than waste the funds and logistical skill it took to film the movie Bix in Davenport, Iowa, Italian filmmaker Pupi Avati wrote and produced this unassuming English-language melodrama to make full use of their unusual location. Irving left his small-town home a long time ago, after breaking off relations with his father, who was capable of all kinds of wrongdoing. In particular, Irving's old man got a girl pregnant and didn't even begin to do the right thing by her. Now that the old coot is dead and he is the sole heir, Irving has come back to town determined to right past wrongs, and see to it that the girl's family benefits from his legacy. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Leviathan, a sci-fi thriller directed by George Pan Cosmatos, is the story of a group of scientists who discover a sunken Russian submarine which contains a monster that is the product of a genetic experiment. This film, a hybrid of both The Abyss and Alien, has a decent cast, including Peter Weller as Beck, the lead oceanographer. Working with a good budget, action director Cosmatos, should have been able to put together better action sequences and a more frightening monster, but he gives this derivative, silly film below-par special effects and no particular visual style. Leviathan, while it may entertain a less-sophisticated viewer, has little to offer fans of the genre who are looking for thrilling special effects. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi

This comedy connects three unrelated stories of gamblers as they seek their fortunes in the casinos of Monte Carlo. When Furio (Christian De Sica) wins big but has his money stolen, he is forced to spend the night with an unappealing millionairess. Gino (Massimo Boldi) and his brother are fleeced by the fortune-hunting female Silvia (Florence Guerin). Oscar (Ezio Greggio) is a predatory gambler who find himself devoured by a French card shark. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

This comedy-drama explores the sexual misadventures of a variety of suburban dwellers, including a few straying husbands and wives, and some non-husbands and non-wives too. After Sandro (Christian De Sica) and Lorenzo (Massimo Boldi) pack their wives and kids off for a brief vacation, the two men decide to look for some close encounters of the sexual kind. Sandro goes on several dates while Lorenzo takes up with his less-than-stable secretary, which proves to be a big mistake. Meanwhile, Gianluca (Jerry Cala) is an ambitious advertising executive who has little knack for communicating with the woman he loves. Finally, a car salesman (Enzo Greggio) chases anyone in skirts, full throttle, but gets a surprise in a few instances. None of these stories tends to overlap with the others. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In a series of vignettes that serve as a sequel to Amici Miei, director Mario Monicelli brings back several of his stars from the earlier movie to continue their antics in Florence, home of the friends of the title. All five are (or in some cases, were) close companions and have a penchant for practical jokes. Count Lello Mascetti (Ugo Tognazzi) may not have much money, but then he has an unattractive, pregnant, unmarried daughter to compensate. Prof. Sassaroli (Adolfo Celi) is a surgeon who decides to get back at a slightly senile loan shark, and the other friends range from a bar owner to a love-sick man. Together, they are sure to go from one unlikely situation to the next. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Nothing in his background has given Saso Iovine (Nino Manfredi) any preparation for the sticky situations he encounters when he is hired by the crooked building contractor Don Michele to find his daughter Giulia, and some important (and legally damaging) documents she stole from him before running off with her boyfriend. He immediately stumbles onto a nest of corpses and a Neapolitan crime rivalry while being pursued by the police and harassed by his half-loony girlfriend. Along the way, practically everyone involved in the case becomes a corpse for him to stumble over moments ahead of the police's arrival. He does, however, become somewhat friendly with the police commissioner Assenza (Ugo Tognazzi), which just barely suffices to keep his neck out of the noose. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The English-language title of this Italian WW I drama is Seven of the Big Bear. The title refers to a group of Italian navy frogmen, who train arduously for a raid on the allied stronghold of Gilbraltar. Their "inside man" on the island is actually a woman, nightclub singer Eleanora Rossi Drago. When last seen, the deep-sea-diving heroes are engaged in an assault on the British fleet at Alexandria. I Sette Dell'Orsa Maggiore would make a fascinating companion feature to the American wartime actioner The Frogmen. The music is by Nino Rota, whose later filmwork included the two Godfather films. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi