Juggles six major and more than a dozen minor characters with some skill.

| Feb 28, 2021

A truly wonderful coming-of-age tale, suffused with wit and warmth.

| Mar 1, 2007

| Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 21, 2006

On the surface, Caterina in the Big City is like Mean Girls, Italian-style. But it's much more layered than that.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Nov 3, 2005

The Italian Caterina in the Big City is sloppy, but it's on to something.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Oct 7, 2005

Caterina in the City is a coming-of-age story, of course, but its adult characters are also well rendered.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 7, 2005

Its juxtaposition of coming-of-age story and political allegory seldom feels belabored.

| Sep 26, 2005

An odd, and oddly dishonest bird.

| Sep 24, 2005

Caterina faces challenges in this coming-of-age movie, but nothing earth-shattering or exceptional.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 23, 2005

It's an adolescent-to-adult drama that never veers into maudlin or sugary territory. There's a realness on screen that translates to any culture.

| Original Score: B | Sep 22, 2005

Though Caterina is unusually well-acted and crafted for this kind of movie ... Giancarlo is the one character who makes the movie special.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 8, 2005

Played in a manic, volcanic manner by Castellitto, Giancarlo is a constant source of humor and embarrassment.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 26, 2005

...a funny, affecting, and intricate comedy that continually surprises and gets better as it goes along.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Aug 4, 2005

It's not a satire, it's a family drama whose social and political thoughts flicker like a neon sign on the fritz. Alas, sentimentality is the movie's pilot light.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 22, 2005

A warm and resonant comedy.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jul 21, 2005

Caterina in the Big City won't change your life, but it moves along spiffily and the young Teghil is adorable as she adventures gamely onward.

| Jul 15, 2005

The film uses its surprisingly sly humor to win over the audience and also manages to say quite a bit about the differences between the haves and have-nots of the world, yet without becoming too full of itself.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 15, 2005

A blend of gentle comedy and poignant drama.

| Jul 14, 2005

Subtitles that are damnably hard to read are all that gets in the way of Virz's story, which simultaneously suffices as a teen drama and a political metaphor.

| Jul 14, 2005

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 5, 2005