From the Vine review – laugh-free comedy of midlife Italian escape

Joe Pantoliano stars as a disaffected executive setting out to revive his grandfather’s vineyard in this tiresomely whimsical taleAn Italian-American man in late middle age rejects the rat race and embarks on a voyage of self-discovery and winemaking in this lifelessly unfunny comedy.

It’s Eat Pray Love for wealthy male boomers: embarrassingly sincere and iffily patronising to its Italian characters.

The star is veteran character actor Joe Pantoliano, who played toupeed scumbag Ralph Cifaretto in The Sopranos – he looks deeply uncomfortable here as Marco Gentile, a nice-guy car industry CEO.

For most of the movie Pantoliano keeps his mouth fixed in what is meant to be, I think, a warm, welcoming smile.

But maybe it’s the Sopranos baggage: his grin looks to have a slight edge of hostility, like a shark flashing its teeth.At the beginning of the movie Marco impulsively quits his job, taking

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