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Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Ferzan Ozpetek's movie Loose Cannons' is an enjoyable portrait of an Italian family struggling to come to terms with their children's sexuality. After one clever early plot development, the rest is fairly predictable, and behind the immediate story, the picture of Italy (in a film directed by a Turk) is idealised and gorgeous, the Italy of a vacation rather than of real life. But it's nicely put together, observant and funny, and the comedic elements prevent the film's fundamental softness from grating. In some ways, it's like an episode of 'Inspector Montalbano', only stripped of machismo and replaced with a rather different flavour.

Turkish writer/director Ferzan Ozpetek (His Secret Life, Saturn in Opposition, Facing Windows, Sacred Heart, Steam:The Turkish Bath, etc) has created yet another sensitive, warmly humorous, intelligent movie in LOOSE CANNONS (MINE VAGANTI), a film he co-wrote with Ivan Cotroneo. The film is filled with an extraordinary cast of Italian actors, most of whom we do not know but who deliver some of the most memorable characterizations in recent years. The title for the film 'loose cannons' refers to an irresponsible and reckless individual whose behavior (either intended or unintended) endangers the group he or she belongs to. There could not be a better title for this film that examines family life in contemporary Italy.The film opens with a prelude of a beautiful woman in a bridal gown running across the fields toward the ancient house where she embraces a man Nicola (Giorgio Marchesi, watch his star rise!) and then is lead to her planned wedding to another man. The story then begins. Tommaso (Riccardo Scamarcio) is the youngest son of the Cantone family who own and operate a pasta factory in southern Italy. At a family dinner, parents Vincenzo (Ennio Fantastichini) and Stefania (Lunetta Savino )Cantone plan on turning over the factory to their two sons, Antonio Cantone (Alessandro Preziosi) and Tommaso Cantone. The younger Tommaso, who has returned home from business school in Rome for this dinner, has his own important news which he plans on divulging at that dinner. Beforehand, he tells Antonio his news. He is not in business school and is not at all interested in running the factory, leaving that to Antonio. Rather, he wants to stay in Rome to be a writer - he has submitted a manuscript of a novel to a publisher - but more importantly that he is gay. Tommaso is certain that their parents will respond with anger and be non-supportive. But before Tommaso can make his statement at the dinner, Antonio, who has been working at the factory for years, drops his own bombshell of news that HE is gay on the family, which results in Vincenzo disowning Antonio and having a mild heart attack. Tommaso feels that he has no other choice now but to keep quiet, stay in the closet, and remain at home to run the factory while his father recuperates. A beautiful worker at the factory, Teresa (Paola Minaccioni) though she has problems of her own, is supportive and close to Tommaso, giving the family the idea that all is 'straight' with Tommaso. But a visit from Rome by Tommaso's flamboyant gay friends - including Tommaso's lover, Marco (Carmine Recano) - may make life difficult for Tommaso as he tries to balance his priorities in life. His sister Elena (Bianca Nappi) reassures Tommaso that she has know of his sexual preference for years and loves him just the same. Tommaso's paternal grandmother (Ilaria Occhini) who started the factory, who is known as the loose cannon of the family and who has a long kept secret of her own, may have her own say in what happens in the family. The ending of the film draws all the conflicts to conclusion in a deeply tender fashion.The cast is large and consistently excellent. But it is Ozpetek's genius that shines though in controlling every aspect of this very rewarding film. Another treasure from Italy. In Italian with English subtitles. Grady Harp, June 12

Juxtaposing with other Ozpetek's films I have watched (chronically STEAM: THE Turkish BATH 1997, LAST HAREM 1999, THE IGNORANT FAIRIES 2001, FACING WINDOWS 2003, SATURN IN OPPOSITION 2007), this time Ozpetek is palpably much smoother and more effortless to deal with his gay-oriented hallmark, shunning from all the melancholy and narcissism most homosexual films shamelessly over-exploit. This film is struggling to overthrow FACING WINDOWS from the crown of my favorite Ozpetek's work (I do need a fresh re-watch of STEAM though). I do not dare to spoil anything here, one prominent astonishment comes at the near end, when the camera fluidly couples with different times, emanates a wonderful visual and spiritual poignancy which exactly one would love to experience from watching a decent film! The cast may not be perfectly splendid, but every character is worth of some acknowledge for its ensemble undertaking, in particular for Ilaria Occhini (the grandmother in the film), a royal poise exuding from her own dignity, which counter-balances the dramatic banality of the coming-out-of-the-closet plight (namely a shade abominable presence of Ennio Fantastichini). Our leading man Riccardo Scamarcio (from THREE STEPS OVER HEAVEN 2004) may be in lack of a certain gay temperament as the chemistry between him and an irresistibly alluring Nicole Grimaudo is way more tangible here. The comedy part in the film is somewhat showy but properly amusing; the intermittent interruption of grandma's marriage is adorably empathetic, also I cherish the balmy score (from Pasquale Catalano) and the moot ending which insinuates a positive perspective of the philosophy of our beings. The blatant snub of 2011 Davide di Donatello awards (only one nomination for BEST MUSIC) is atrociously staggering in my opinion, but it will not stop Ozpetek from coming to be among the most promising virtuoso in the contemporary Italian cinema.

Loose Cannons (Mine vaganti) is a beautiful movie about a young gay man in a large, loving and eccentric Southern Italian family. His plan to free himself from the family pasta business by coming out as gay misfires early in the movie, and the remaining ninety minutes cover how his dilemma is resolved.But this is far, far more than a coming-out movie. Themes of life and death and family and love and loss and immortality run like deep, rich rivers of life throughout the story; it is astonishing how much emotional ground is covered so effectively and gracefully in so little time. Each one of the dozen or so highly differentiated characters is fully and richly developed, and not one of them is short-changed or stereotyped.I bought Loose Cannons because I have loved the earlier works of Ferzan Ozpetec, particularly His Secret Life (Le fate ignoranti), Facing Windows (La finestra di fronte), Sacred Heart (Cuore sacro), and - most of all - Saturn in Opposition (Saturno contro), but Loose Cannons surpasses them all. Each of its predecessors had minor flaws and occasional weak moments, but Loose Cannons has none.As usual in his movies, photography, sets and music are highly original and perfectly fitted to the story: if it were a silent movie it would be beautiful just to look at; if it were a radio program it would be delightful just to listen to. This is the first of his movies to integrate a significant amount of comedy into his usually serious but highly imaginative dramas, and he does it expertly; I laughed out loud almost as often as I wept with delight.This movie is a masterpiece. I cannot imagine how a better movie could ever be made; but Ozpetec is young still, so I am confident he will do it somehow. I can say without any reservation at all that this is the best movie I have ever seen.