The Etruscan Smile (2018) User Reviews

Warm and real

[albamerlot · 8/10 · 8 February 2019]

Saw this at the Reel Canadian Film Festival in Fernie, BC in January 2019. (The screenplay is by Canadian director, Michael McGowan). The audience loved it.

The cinematography and set direction are superb, the acting is lovely and the pacing is great. The character development is complex and layered; the relationships really develop over time.

Suspend your disbelief a little of the why anyone from Scotland would travel to the US for medical treatment without a referral or a real diagnosis. The book that the story is based on is set in Italy, and has the protagonist move from rural Italy to Milan, which makes a lot more sense. To have had Rory move from Lewis to Glasgow or even London, or from rural USA to San Francisco, would have been an easier sell, but then there wouldn't have been the transatlatic appeal or all the wonderful notes from the Highlands of Scotland.

There's a few other plot holes you'll need to get over too, but this isn't meant to be a a serious study. It's a lovely warm romantic comedy-drama gem that will make you leave the theatre smiling and wanting to spend more time with the people you love.

Sweet movie rises above its flaws

[maccas-56367 · 8/10 · 9 February 2020]

This was a sweet little movie with a lot of heart. It's that big heart and kind spirit which rises above the flaws and downfalls it has.

Brian Cox is the best part of the film. The relationship depicted with his grandson was really touching. The Scottish cultural elements and use of Gaelic were also highlights. It was one of my main reasons for watching and didn't disappoint. The film would've been better for showcasing even more Scottish scenery and less of life in America.

The majority of the film was set in San Fransisco. In this sense, the film often fell into a Scottish version of Crocodile Dundee. The fish-out-of-water and cultural barriers were played hard and a lot of the comedy relied on this. It began to get old after a while, but thankfully the performances and big heart saved it.

Despite it's dawdling pace, an annoying Thora Birch and some cliches, it's still a fantastic watch. The version I watched was called 'Rory's Way'. Well worth it to see Brian Cox at his best and some Scottish culture.

A wonderfully touching film!

[backofthevan · 8/10 · 7 October 2018]

***Spoilers!***

Although it makes no sense for a Scotsman living on a remote island to travel to the US for (very expensive) health care when he could hop on a boat to Glasgow or, if necessary, London, I tried to overlook that and enjoy the story.

And enjoy it I did, although the appallingly misguided parenting choices of Thora Birch's character so annoyed me I almost packed it in after the first 15 minutes or so. Anyone who willingly leaves a baby to cry endlessly doesn't deserve to have kids and I don't want to watch a film about such people.

With that out of the way, I have to say, also, I've never liked Brian Cox much, but he is wonderful here as a grumpy, tell-it-like-I-see-it Scotsman, very much a fish out of water (in more ways than one), in sophisticated San Francisco.

Another thing that kept bugging me is why would this old guy fresh from his wee cottage in Scotland have dyed hair? Brian Cox may have dyed hair, but it's impossible to believe that his curmudgeonly character, Rory, would. Plus, it kept changing colour throughout the film. Weird.

Rory's growing relationship with his baby grandson was a precious thing to see, and I hope all those dimwitted parents who think it's a good idea to ignore a crying baby get the message that it is only okay if your intention is to teach your baby what it's like to feel unloved and abandoned.

If you love someone, tell them. Support your children to live THEIR dreams, not yours. Nobody is on this Earth to live up to YOUR expectations (except maybe YOU). If you love someone, tell them.

There are lessons to be learned in this film, along with the charm and the smiles and the teary eyes. Very much worth watching, I say.

Nice but predictable

[thatll-be-the-day · 7/10 · 27 May 2020]

Always worth watching a film with Brian Cox in it. But adds nothing new to the genre, but well made all round.

Aside from major plotholes, an entertaining film

[violet_raven · 7/10 · 15 October 2022]

Brian Cox makes this movie. For a mainland actor he did really well with the Gaelic, but any Scot, Gaelic speaking or no, would have corrected the Americans pronouncing it wrong. It might seem a small thing given the glaring impracticality of leaving the Hebrides for an expensive medical checkup in America when the plane from Barra goes straight to Glasgow, but if you can ignore that, the film is funny with a few wee irritations that lower the rating slightly.

Given that he was asked to speak for the purpose of preserving a specific dialect within Scots Gaidhlig, I feel for realism he'd have pointed out the "gaelic" they mention would have meant to us the Irish native language. It was a comedy moment, to make light of the persistent mispronunciation, but it was an opportunity to use the medium of film to truly preserve a piece of dying culture.

The wife did a fantastic job of being intolerable, but even she could be empathised with, a product of her own upbring. Nothing new about the basic premis of the story, but one done fairly well.

There were poignant moments that I personally found really touching; the moment where he looks out on the lights of the city and sees the reflection of his Atlantic waves, while a bit cliché, nearly had us all greetin (me and my own grumpy old hebridean parents) even though we could look out our own window and see it for real. It does highlight the disconnect between the city and cultural home, between trying to prove yourself and being yourself.

Aye it was alright, probably rating it higher than it deserves for all its flaws but worth a watch, especially for the wee bits of the Hebrides at the beginning and end.

Charming

[fmwongmd · 6/10 · 15 September 2020]

An affecting story with plenty of Gallic charm and charming actors not the least of whom is a baby with fantastic abilities. This is the best movie Brian Cox has made!

Heart and humour and family

[spookydreamerboo · 9/10 · 19 May 2020]

Just finished watching this, and what a joy. I just had a row with my sister so this tale of estranged father and son was just the ticket to remind me of what family really means.

Brian Cox was excellent as ever, he really gets better with age. A lesser actor might have played the role as a sterotype Scot, but his rough cutting edge at times kept his character grounded in reality.

I didn't even realise who some of the actors were until the end credits, everyone just inhabited their roles.

The shame is that some people will write something like this off as an afternoon movie not worth their attention, well, it's a lot better than many of the blockbusters out there.

The great social divide between rural Scotland and San Francisco.

[TxMike · 19 September 2020]

The Etruscans predated the Romans, they were the ancient people that generally dominated the territory we know today as Italy. One scene in this movie is in a museum and an ancient Etruscan sculpture has the two people smiling. The Etruscan Smile.

This movie stars Brian Cox as 70-something Rory MacNeil, a ferry operator in rural Scotland. He is stubborn and gruff and thinks his home is without doubt the most wonderful place in the world. He is not totally well and he travels to San Francisco where his adult son lives with wife and young son.

It is immediately clear at the airport that the dad and son do not get along. So most of the story is actually about the two of them meeting in the middle, mending relationships, and the dad dealing with his diagnosis.

Good movie, Cox is his usual reliable self. The cinematography includes spectacular shots in both Northern California and rural Scotland. My wife and I watched it on DVD from our public library.

A little story

[pablolopezu · 6/10 · 10 May 2019]

This movie is a little story. Certainly it doesn't take too much from Brian Cox, but he is the best part of the movie, specially the stuff with his grandson. The relationship with his son is kind of shallow but warm in off. I think is okay with the tone of the movie, but i would have been happy to see a whole movie with that and a bit more of drama between this actors. Lovely cinematography, specially on Vallasay. Nice soundtrack. In conclusion a warm movie for a sunday afternoon.

One of the best!

[sarahmorgenroth · 10/10 · 11 May 2018]

I watched this film yesterday evening and am still slightly in awe. The combination of humor and more emotional scenes was honestly breathtaking. The story teaches a very important lesson about family and values.

Great Story Well Told

[mamlukman · 10/10 · 24 January 2019]

We saw this at the Palm Springs Film Festival in Jan. 2019. Our question after seeing a movie is always "Could this can been improved?" In this case, the answer is a firm "No." It's pretty much perfect within the bounds of what it set out to do. It tells a realistic story in a straightforward way (no time shifting! Hurray!). It held our attention throughout--no looking at watches. It's pretty much Brian Cox's movie since he is in every scene, and he does a great job. He had to learn Gaelic to play the part, and as far as I can see did a fantastic job.

Is it a comedy or a drama? Both. Certainly the comedic angle is almost always there, but there are touches (esp. the scenes with Rosanna Arquette) where it gets fairly serious and has a serious message. But it never hits you over the head with sentimentality or its "message." The director seems to have found a perfect middle ground. This seems to be getting rarer, so congratulations are in order.

Finally, it reminded me of a 2016 Finnish movie, "The Grump," which also featured a older man who lived in the countryside who visits his son in the big city (Helsinki, in this case). He is technologically inept, leading to several hilarious scenes, and he interferes in his daughter-in-law's business. It was more of a pure comedy than "Etruscan Smile." Curiously, neither Brian Cox nor the director were aware of the Finnish movie.

Many more grimaces then smiles

[stevepat99 · 2/10 · 8 October 2018]

I like Brian Cox but I did not like this movie. Brian Cox (Rory), age 74, lives an isolated existence on a Scottish island, amongst cliffs overlooking the ocean. He has been estranged from his son Ian, who lives in SF, for at least 15 years. Suddenly Rory falls to the floor with disabling pain. Super Plot Hole: Out of the blue, his veterinarian friend tells him: You must fly to SF to see a doctor. What??? Why not nearby Glasgow with UK's free med care? Regardless, this wacky screenplay has Rory flying off to SF without setting up any SF doctor appointment. All we have is a grim father/son airport reunion with Rory admitting he has no idea whether his grandchild is a boy or girl.

Rory is an unabashed, flaming, hurtful self centered alcoholic. His luggage is filled with booze, he is always order doubles and always carries a flask. He is an aged, annoying and rude curmudgeon i.e. to son Ian: Your wife's not breast feeding, doesn't she have breasts?

Despite knowing he may again be immobilized by pain at any moment Rory takes his baby grandchild out for a solo carriage stroll. He gleefully puts the baby's life in real danger by dashing, against the traffic light, across a major, busy , street. He totally enjoys this game of near lethal auto dodge ball. Later in the film he again puts the baby's life in danger by wading, alone with the baby, waist high into the ocean. Of course, he knows that an attack of disabling pain would result in the baby drowning.

Arquette looks good for her age (59) but the thought of any romance between the two seems absurd as Cox (Rory) makes it known time and again how much he detests SF city folk and SF's barbaric city ways.

When Rory surprises Ian and his wife with a 'special' dinner it turns out Rory is celebrating news of the liver failure (of course) death of an arch enemy neighbor back home. The two had feuded forever and had a running bet on who would die first. Nice celebration of death dinner.

Detached from reality: Ian runs to the beach whiles Rory is waist deep in the ocean, holding the baby. Rory admonishes Ian to wit: My grandson should not be living here and also "I will not make the same mistake with him (baby) that I made with you." Ian takes the baby turns his back on Rory and leaves his stage 4 dad standing in the ocean as he, his wife and baby drive home. Rory, falling down drunk and vomiting, mysteriously finds his way to Arquette's house. Perhaps he was teleported from the beach!

Rory correctly decides he must return to Scotland to die in his own bed. Of course, he does not ask his son and family to accompany him though they decide to do so. The only high point is the one selfie they take of the four of them on a spot overlooking the sea. This three seconds of 'smiles' makes its way to the movie poster/DVD jacket cover. A smiling, loving family portrait. As noted three seconds of smiles out of the entire film.

Grimaces and thumbs down from me.

A lovely story

[lwio1960 · 9/10 · 30 April 2020]

A lovely story with great actors. Nothing strange or crazy in this movie just a nice story. The only flaw is Rory travelling to the US to get treatment which would cost quite a bit were he could treatment free on the NHS. Just a nitpick. Definitely worth a watch for the comedy and scenery. Recommended.

What a bonus!

[mshturner · 10/10 · 9 June 2019]

Yesterday was very wet, took off to the Abbeygate Cinema in Bury St Edmunds to watch this wonderful movie. Have always admired Brian Cox, this movie is probably his very best performance, with a great script, direction, photography and supporting cast. I urge you to watch it, you will certainly not be disappointed!

Beautiful Film

[johnwallaces · 10/10 · 29 April 2020]

Made me proud to be Scottish and tugged at long forgotten heart strings. I cried at the end and my tears were tears of joy and sorrow. Lovely lovey lovely film.

Ignore the fake positive reviews, this is one slow grind of every cliche imaginable

[random-70778 · 6 October 2021]

Lots of ten star ratings from single use accounts. Ie fake positive ratings.

This film is just terrible.

Brian Cox is a good actor but no one else in this film can act.

Cox is Great in a Terrible Cliche of a Movie

[nicholasabadzis · 3/10 · 7 September 2020]

I'll watch anything that Brian Cox is in, which is how we came to view this cliched, platitudinous collection of hackneyed scenes that calls itself a film. It's shot well and has a great cast - Thora Birch, Peter Coyote, Rosanna Arquette and numerous others in support of the great man Cox as cantankerous old Scottish crofter Rory; JJ Feild playing his doe-eyed son Ian. Rory is an Outer Hebridean as reimagined by and viewed through a Hollywood lens - gruff and unforgiving, on first impression but soon the whole of San Francisco is in thrall to his magical, twinkly-eyed wisdom and truth telling. There's a smidgeon of enjoyment to be garnered from watching this fine cast do their thing, but the script is just a series of hoary old cliches strung together one after the other, so our chief enjoyment sprang from predicting what the next rose-tinged moment pressed forth from the cookie-cutter plot machine would be. The good cinematography and production values ratchet it up a notch beyond yer average Hallmark TV movie, to which vapid feelgood "family values" genre this movie most definitely belongs. Cox, and the entire cast, are better than this watery, dire, predictable stuff, but we all gotta pay the rent, eh?

My Dad highlighted it, so it's got to be good.

[mwylliemackay · 8/10 · 29 April 2020]

My Dad put this on, one of his specials from the TV Guide. I hadn't read up about it beforehand as I usually do with most films, this time I just sat back and enjoyed the story. The development of the characters was gentle and the story line had me appreciating the time I have with my own father. The relationship between Rory, Ian and Jamie was emotional and it choked me up on several occasions, however Rory's character had me in laughter throughout with his hard witty Scottish humour. The film is beautifully shot throughout with breathtaking views of the Hebrides. Definitely a film worth watching.

Excellent, funny drama

[robcartwright-26034 · 9/10 · 25 May 2020]

I really enjoyed this film. The main character is a lovable rogue who shows his softer humane side when visiting his son in US.

A real feel good.

Beautiful

[jmnjmn · 10/10 · 18 October 2020]

Highly recommended. Touching story, wonderfully human acting, well crafted.

Banal

[laurensternkedem · 1/10 · 29 June 2019]

Banal and totally predictable script with no depth and dreadful acting by usually talented actors. An unsuccessful attempt to be moving and clever. It was not.

A wonderful movie

[aharon-izraeli · 10/10 · 13 April 2020]

I totally enjoyed this. Sure there are plot-holes, but I usually prefer to enjoy a movie than hate it and if you let yourself be swept away by it this movie will leave you smiling and feeling good and isn't that what a good romantic dramedy is supposed to do? So, if you get hung up on the shade of the lead actors hair or why he decided to go to San Francisco instead of relying on the local vet you, for sure , will not enjoy this. On the other hand, if you decide to enjoy it ,this movie will make you laugh, cry and feel good and ready to die with a smile on your face too. I gave it ten because that's as high as the scale goes.

If you can only watch one Brian Cox movie...

[jcoffee02 · 10/10 · 18 June 2021]

This would be a worthy candidate. Brian Cox is an actor who can summon thunder and raise the oceans, but his performance here is a perfectly modulated blend of humor and pathos. There are so many ways the performances, writing and direction could have misfired and veered into melodrama, but the worn, easy approaches to the themes and characters were avoided. The music, too, was evocative yet tasteful and fit like a glove. Some reviewers have questioned the title; they must have missed the museum scene. Just another reason for them to enjoy a second viewing.

Wrong Title

[allie701 · 8/10 · 26 September 2020]

This poignant story about an irascible old Scotsman making his peace with his family before his death is not given its due with this misleading title. This story is a celebration of all things Gaelic. Brian Cox is very believable and there is a totally adorable baby.

Very touching story!

[YusuffGatsby · 7 November 2018]

Very touching story about a father and son relationship a must watch makes you cry