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Tea With Mussolini

Play trailer Poster for Tea With Mussolini PG 1999 1h 56m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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64% Tomatometer 39 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In 1930s fascist Italy, adolescent Luca (Charlie Lucas) just lost his mother. His father, a callous businessman, sends him to be taken care of by British expatriate Mary Wallace (Joan Plowright). Mary and her cultured friends -- including artist Arabella (Judi Dench), young widow Elsa (Cher) and archaeologist Georgie (Lily Tomlin) -- keep a watchful eye over the boy. But the women's cultivated lives take a dramatic turn when Allied forces declare war on Mussolini.
Tea With Mussolini

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Tea with Mussolini contains few surprises, but this amiably ambling drama is too likable -- and well-cast -- to completely resist.

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Critics Reviews

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Wendy Ide The Times (UK) Franco Zeffirelli drew on his early life for this evocative portrait of an expat community in pre-Second World War Italy. May 18, 2023 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times The movie is heavier with events than with plot. Things are always happening, but it's hard to see the connections, and the material involving Elsa's love affair, Lady Hester's draft-dodging grandson and Arabella's dog all coexists uneasily. Rated: 2.5/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Al Weisel Out Magazine Don't expect Italian neorealism; like most of Zeffirelli's work, the film is slightly grander than life. May 25, 2022 Full Review Chase Burns The Stranger (Seattle, WA) ...in all honesty, the movie is drab. They're literally draped in drab... Jan 5, 2022 Full Review Jan Stuart The Advocate The Zeffirelli approach to history combines the time-marches-on urgency of an old Movietone newsreel with the sun-dappled sheen of an Italian Tourist Authority brochure. Jul 27, 2021 Full Review Tracey Petherick Common Sense Media Uplifting WWII drama has some violence but positive themes. Rated: 3/5 Mar 26, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Overall a good watch but let down by occasional wooden acting (mostly from Luca) and a confusing/slow start Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/10/24 Full Review Debbie A Anything starring CHER, Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Judi Dench is worth watching. I enjoyed this film mostly for it's great works of art, fashion and the entire artistry of it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/08/24 Full Review Mc O There should have been a gay character/romance! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/15/23 Full Review isla s This film features a solid cast, some amusing witty comments and its a pretty pleasant watch, although the plot pace is a bit slow at the start and it may bore some I suppose. Its undoubtedly the performances that make this film work as well as it does. It has a definite sense of 'the British stiff upper lip' about it, its fair to say and I found it interesting to see how the somewhat upper class Brits handled finding themselves in a foreign country now a part of such a large scale war. However, I admit that I did find Cher's character rather irritating (as did others in the film - the loud, pompous/extroverted American doesn't go down entirely well among others). Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member 5 stars for a very enjoyable film with a great story, cast, setting...... and 5 well-crafted characters everyone can relate to and cheer for Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member A decent watch. There's some good acting in there and a passable story. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Tea With Mussolini

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Cast & Crew

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Franco Zeffirelli

Director

Cher

Elsa Morganthal Strauss-Armistan

Judi Dench

Arabella

Joan Plowright

Mary Wallace

Maggie Smith

Lady Hester Random

Lily Tomlin

Georgie

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Tea With Mussolini

Tea With Mussolini (1999) Tea With Mussolini (1999) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In 1930s fascist Italy, adolescent Luca (Charlie Lucas) just lost his mother. His father, a callous businessman, sends him to be taken care of by British expatriate Mary Wallace (Joan Plowright). Mary and her cultured friends -- including artist Arabella (Judi Dench), young widow Elsa (Cher) and archaeologist Georgie (Lily Tomlin) -- keep a watchful eye over the boy. But the women's cultivated lives take a dramatic turn when Allied forces declare war on Mussolini.
Director
Franco Zeffirelli
Producer
Clive Parsons, Riccardo Tozzi, Giovannella Zannoni, Frederick Muller
Screenwriter
John Mortimer, Franco Zeffirelli
Distributor
CIC Video, United International Pictures, G2 Films
Production Co
Medusa Film, Cattleya, Film & General Productions Ltd. [gb], Cineritmo
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 2, 1999, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
May 1, 2001
Box Office (Gross USA)
$14.4M
Runtime
1h 56m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)