02/06/2022 - The romantic comedy by Zuxin Hou, shot in the Rome of fairy tales, is designed for the Asian market but could also find success in Europe

Cinema renews and reinvents itself with its own magic, and therefore a 2.0 version of the timeless classic Roman Holiday, updated to the time of social media and influencers, is possible, with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck replaced by two young and equally romantic Chinese actors, Liu Xun and Huang Yao. The Italian Recipe, directed by Zuxin Hou, is an unusual Italy-China-Germany co-production which, after its premiere at the 24th edition of the Far East Film Festival in Udine at the end of April, will be released on 9,000 Chinese screens (9,000, you read that right) on 3 June during the first real weekend of cinemas’ reopening in China since the recent lockdown. It will then land on the VOD platform Youku following its exploitation in theatres.

This comedy entirely shot in the Italian capital — with the protagonists roaming about with ease on a Vespa, on foot, or, alternatively, aboard a luxurious Maserati, from the Colosseum to the Imperial Forums, the Trinità dei Monti, the Trevi Fountain or in the alleys of Trastevere — tells a story that is simple but not trivial, enriched as it is by a considerable dose of light-hearted irony, courtesy of the film’s screenwriters, namely the director together with Cristiano Bortone (who is also the Italian producer), Alberto Simone and Yu Si, who take inspiration from the novel Un amore a Roma by Simone himself. Peng is a young Chinese pop star who lacks something to truly enter Olympus, that is, the top of KuGou (the Chinese Spotify), like his peer Axun. Peng is an excellent musician but is involved in the trashy mechanisms of the pop industry, totally dependent on his social media reputation and on the fluctuating moods of fans. To recapture the public's favours and bring him back into the media spotlight (and in an attempt to "reshape his image"), his agent Pete (Wu Yingzhe) signs him up for a reality show to be shot in Rome alongside a famous influencer.

It goes without saying that, in Rome, a chance encounter with "Cinderella" will change his life. Mandy is the opposite of Peng: she lives with simplicity with her uncles (Fann Woon Fong and Li Xiaochuan), who run a Chinese laundromat and are convinced that their beloved niece is studying law at university with great success. 

But the tireless girl does a thousand jobs, including replacing her friend Antonio (Romano Reggiani) as a driver for VIP clients, and her secret dream is to become a chef like her idol Antonino Cannavacciuolo. Her first contact with Peng is hostile, but after a thousand misunderstandings and unexpected events (including encounters with the amusing characters of the film director and the wealthy financier, respectively entrusted to Liu Di and Shi Yang Shi, the latter being a naturalised Italian actor), the two will live their enchanted night between the sacred walls of the Academy of Santa Cecilia, accompanied by the evocative music of a great maestro like Ennio Morricone and all the while the rest of the city is glued to the Italy-Germany football final.

The ingredients for the perfect "Italian recipe" are all there: art and beauty, well photographed by Vladan Radovic, good music (Santi Pulvirenti signs the soundtrack while the director Hou is the author of the final piece played by Peng), tasty food and good wine, famous brands (though we could have done without them) and a sense of humour that transcends the hybrid nationality of the film to touch on something universal, like the message of the film: pursue your dreams, escape the empty and superficial calls of misleading sirens that today enchant young people at every latitude. Designed for the Asian market, this sentimental comedy could also find success in Europe.

The Italian Recipe was produced by Orisa Produzioni, Dauphine Film Company, Free Age Pictures, Beijing WD Pictures and Lightburst Pictures, with Rai Cinema, Arri China, Yiyi Pictures. Mahua Fun Age will distribute the film in China.

(Translated from Italian)