Too Beautiful
Too Beautiful is a 2005 Italian comedy film directed by. Starring and, the film was conceived by Maurizio Costanzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Stefano Sudriè. It was released in Italian theaters on April 22, 2005.
The protagonists of the film are Costantino and Daniele, two friends who dream of making a career in the film industry. Their lives change when they meet Valeria, an actress who, in collusion with her father, Dr. Giampalmi, deceives them by demanding large sums of money with the promise of introducing them to the entertainment industry. The two boys are assigned to Michela, Valeria’s sister, for a supposed acting course. However, Michela falls in love with Costantino and reveals the scam to him. The two boys manage to free themselves from the impostors, and Costantino begins a relationship with Michela.
The film was very negatively reviewed by Italian critics, who panned its acting and certain aspects of the plot. At the box office, it was a flop, earning 704,000 euros; in the same year, it was nominated for three "Fiaschi d'oro" awards, winning in the "Worst Actor" category for Vitagliano. Due to its poor box office performance and negative reviews, it is considered one of the worst Italian films ever made.
Plot
Costantino and Daniele are two thirty-year-old friends leading an unremarkable life in a suburban neighborhood. Thanks to their good looks, they are very popular with local teenage girls, who chase them, taking photos with their phones or stealing their underwear. The two friends move from one job to another, but Daniele’s dream, supported by Costantino, is to make a career in the film industry. During an argument in a club, they are approached by a model-actress named Valeria, who, in collusion with her father, the fake talent agent Dr. Giampalmi, sells supposed "acting courses" promising students an easy career in show business.The next morning, the two boys visit the doctor’s studio to create a photo portfolio, which will supposedly be sent to major modeling agencies to help them achieve their dreams. Giampalmi also assigns his younger daughter Michela, who has been secretly in love with Costantino for years, to teach them the secrets of cinema. Initially, Michela refuses to cooperate, but under pressure from her father, she agrees. Due to the high cost of the acting course, Costantino and Daniele are forced to work as bartenders, street cleaners, and later as dock workers, even resorting to borrowing money from their parents.
The evening after meeting Giampalmi, Costantino and Daniele go to a nightclub with their friend Claudio, Costantino’s ex-girlfriend Chiara, and Daniele’s girlfriend Isabella. During the evening, Isabella is approached by Vittorio, a mutual friend, sparking Daniele’s anger. Shortly afterward, Costantino and Daniele encounter Valeria again, still scouting for new talent, but the other two girls, jealous of her presence, leave. The next morning, Costantino tries to make amends with Chiara, but to no avail: she rushes to work, arrives late, and is reprimanded by her boss. Claudio intervenes to prevent Chiara from being fired, and she offers him a coffee in gratitude. This sparks a flirtation between the two.
Subsequently, Valeria secures the two friends their first opportunities to perform: the first time, she arranges a gig for them, though with the ulterior motive of securing an advertising contract for herself from a prominent entertainment figure, and the second time, she books them as strippers at a bachelorette party. Dr. Giampalmi, having collected the money, tries to get the boys to drop out of the course. Costantino decides to quit after arguing with Daniele. Daniele, meanwhile, is dumped by Isabella, who starts a relationship with Vittorio. Daniele realizes that Giampalmi’s course is a scam but decides to continue attending, so the doctor arranges individual lessons for him. Michela, having witnessed the two friends’ misfortunes, decides to help them and secures them a role in a film. By the end of the story, Costantino reconciles with Chiara, who invites him to her wedding with Claudio. During the ceremony, Costantino begins a relationship with Michela, and Daniele reconciles with Isabella.
Production
Development
Following the success of the television program achieved by tronista Costantino Vitagliano, the Costanzo-De Filippi duo decided to cast Vitagliano and Daniele Interrante as protagonists in a film aimed at teenagers. The film was initially titled I belloni, but the production later opted for Troppo belli. During an interview, Maurizio Costanzo was asked if the film was inspired by Dino Risi’s Poveri ma belli, to which he replied, “Not only that film, but an entire genre of Italian comedy from the ‘50s and ‘60s”; he added that the film was not a remake of the latter. In contrast to Costanzo’s statements, producer Marco Poccioni clarified in an interview that the two films had nothing in common. Vitagliano stated that the title did not refer to his beauty but to all the opportunities that had been offered to him. Interrante also claimed that the title referred to the fact that “ it was really too beautiful for us to see a dream come true.”The film, produced by Medusa Film and made by Marco Poccioni and Marco Valsania for Rodeo Drive, was financed by Maurizio Costanzo for two million euros. During an interview with the weekly magazine TV Sorrisi e Canzoni, Vitagliano revealed that his fee for the film was 10,000 euros, which he described as “very little” compared to what he earned for public appearances. Ugo Fabrizio Giordani, the film’s director, described it as an instant movie, as the screenplay, written by Costanzo and Stefano Sudriè, was completed in three weeks, pre-production took two weeks, and shooting was concluded in five weeks.
Filming
Filming, primarily shot in Terni, began on January 10, 2005 and ended on February 13. Filming lasted about ten hours a day, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.The scene of the meeting between Vitagliano, Pierelli, and Interrante was filmed at the Abacab nightclub in Narni Scalo, while other scenes were shot outdoors at the Mivida nightclub in Terni. The wedding scene takes place in the Chiesa di San Gemini. Other filming locations include the Videocentro, the E.Leclerc shopping center, and the Cascata delle Marmore in Terni. During an interview, Costanzo spoke about the filming and said, “You can’t imagine what’s happening in Terni on the set of the film,” referring to the behavior of the fans of the two protagonists.
Soundtrack
The band Egoricarica was hired to perform during the final wedding scene. The band was chosen by director Ugo Fabrizio Giordani, who had previously directed their first music video, Voglio star con te. Three songs by Egoricarica were selected: Il brivido, Angelo perso, and Voglio star con te, which were included in the soundtrack composed by Gigi D'Alessio and Adriano Pennino for BMG. The film also features one song by D’Alessio, Quanti amori, and two by Anna Tatangelo, Dimmi dimmi and . The latter was released as a digital download, and it was broadcast on the radio starting in May 2005. The live sound recording was handled by Mirko Pantalla, sound engineer, and Fabrizio Calzolaio, microphone operator, on behalf of LdE Produzioni. However, the soundtrack was never released due to the film’s poor public reception.Promotion
Both lead actors promoted the film: on April 21, the day of the premiere, they appeared at the Adriano cinema in Rome, then made stops on April 26 at the Dante cinema in Palermo, and finally on April 27 at the Med cinema in Naples.During the premiere on April 21, Vitagliano was interviewed and said about the film’s release, “It will be a success, I’m sure because people want to see me, they’ve been following me for a long time. They’ll all be in the theaters.” Following the film’s failure, La Repubblica commented, “The good news is that those who go to the cinema don’t watch TV. The bad news is that those who watch TV don’t go to the cinema.”
The theatrical release of Troppo belli was preceded by a press conference without a screening, as the film was still in post-production. The Adnkronos agency suggested “the suspicion that there is fear of possible critical panning, ready to scrutinize the film written by Maurizio Costanzo and scripted by Stefano Sudriè.” During the press conference, controversy arose over the success-talent dichotomy, which many journalists felt the two actors did not embody. Interrante responded to the accusations, stating, “In this country, you don’t get ahead based on meritocracy but on popularity,” while Vitagliano replied, “I’m happy to be handsome because it allows me to do what I do,” adding, “If we weren’t Costantino and Daniele, people wouldn’t come to see us.”