Paolo Sorrentino’s outrageously stylized historical commentary Il Divo opens with a flurry of pre-credit titles intended to bring viewers up to speed on Italian politics in the latter half of the 20th century. No matter. For those who don’t come into the film with a wealth of knowledge on the subject—specifically, the 50-plus-year career of Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti—there’s little hope that the frenetic goings-on in Il Divo will be remotely comprehensible, especially in the hands of a mad conductor like Sorrentino. That isn’t entirely a slight against the film; after all, it’s an Italian production pitched to an Italian audience, who likely don’t need a primer on their own recent history. But Sorrentino’s directorial flourishes are at least partly to blame for the lack of clarity; his ornate setpieces are frequently dazzling, but as they pile up over two hours, they wind up distracting as often as they illuminate.
