Synopsis: Everybody and their brother in Little Italy has a story. But few bring together a celestial event, a one of a king ring, a mysterious man in a white suit, petty jealousy, loving larceny, a would-be gondolier, a duel and a very full spittoon. Eight people’s lives are about to change as Jupiter and Venus come together in the night sky for a once in a lifetime event. A Taste Of Jupiter is a whimsical romance set under the stars. Co-starring acclaimed actor Eli Wallach (The Magnificent Seven, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, Keeping the Fait) and featuring comedienne Teri Garr (Tootsie, Young Frankenstein).
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Derek Diorio returns behind the camera for what turns out to be a lacklustre romantic dramedy. To be frank, I’d have to say that it’s a “dramedy” because there’s some sort of romantic theme, dramatic elements and various kinds of humour frappéd together in some sort of paste – but it doesn’t mean that it’s very representative of the genre. Or that it’s tasty.
Essentially, it tries to be charming and affable, but the story isn’t engaging and the performances are particularly dull, uninspired – with the exception of Eli Wallach who, while not in top form, brings a little sparkle to the proceedings. Ultimately, the movie looks good considering its supremely low budget and I’m convinced that they have made the most out of what they had at hand.
Still, as with ‘Two’s a Mob’, the big plus was looking out for Ottawa locales (which includes The Bytowne and a number of Market area shops). But it just wasn’t enough to give me a taste for seconds.
thecriticaleye 