The Caiman

Though there’s little doubt that The Caiman has been designed to appeal to a very specific audience – the film has been compared to Fahrenheit 9/11 due to its less-than-sympathetic view of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi – filmmaker Nanni Moretti has concocted a storyline that’s compelling enough to ensure a reasonable level of interest among non-Italians. The Caiman follows B-movie producer Bruno (Silvio Orlando) as he inadvertently finds himself roped into making a controversial political film – a situation that’s exacerbated by his crumbling personal life. Moretti – who also appears in a cameo role – initially infuses The Caiman with a distinctly over-the-top sensibility, peppering the plot with one broadly comedic set-piece after another (the majority of which simply aren’t all that funny). And although the film soon drops such elements, there’s no denying that The Caiman is ultimately hurt by the overt familiarity of its storyline (there’s not much within the behind-the-scenes-of-a-movie genre that viewers haven’t seen countless times before). Still, the film generally remains amiable enough to warrant an extremely mild recommendation (that being said, Moretti’s fans will most likely be turned off by the overwhelmingly lighthearted tone).

**1/2 out of ****