Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

It starts in 1966 Rome. Nicola and Matteo Carati are on the verge of adulthood. Matteo volunteers at a mental hospital where he takes an interest in troubled patient Giorgia. The brothers believe that she has been abused with electro-shock therapy. This mini-series follows the brothers as they navigate life, love, and turmoil. Matteo joins the military and then the police. Nicola becomes a psychiatrist and have a child with Giulia who turns into a political radical. Nicola would meet up with Giorgia again. This time she is tied down to a bed like many of the other patients.The first part of this series centers around the intriguing character of Giorgia. To be frank, she's the face on the poster and the face of the show. Her predicament draws in the audience. Then she disappears from the show. The brothers' story moves on. Their lives meander and take differing turns. Some of it is interesting but I kept wondering what happened to Giorgia until the series crosses path with her again. I would be more interested in this life-story epic if it deals more with her. Nevertheless, it has interesting turns and has an epic feel for the personal stories.

My wife and I had been looking forward to this family epic, mostly because everybody seemed to lapse into hyperbole while describing it.Well... There's certainly nothing wrong with La Meglio Gioventu, but we did wonder what the fuss was all about. As other reviewers have pointed out, it's a made-for-TV mini-series masquerading as a 6-hour movie; this means the story lines are sweeping, but the production values are not. The actors are so-so, and it should be noted that "Italian" does not equate "arty" or exclude "soapy". Really, you could splice together 6 episodes of "North & South" and achieve similar results.Our advice: if you're into European family histories, see the German series "Heimat" instead. This actually is the cinematically brilliant, absorbing, life-changing experience La Meglio was cranked up to be.

No, the number of minutes is no typo. This film is over six and a half hours long. But as Roger Ebert says, "I dropped outside of time and was carried along by the narrative flow; when the film was over, I had no particular desire to leave the theater, and would happily have stayed another three hours." Of course, I was watching in the comfort of my home but I agree completely with Mr. Ebert.The narrative covers the years 1966 through 2003 and focuses primarily upon the older brother of a middle class Italian family. As it begins, the two brothers of the family are ready to pursue college education as an avenue to successful careers. The younger of them is volunteering at a local mental facility as a walker - a companion for patients who need to explore the world outside the institution. He finds that the girl he accompanies is being mistreated and more or less kidnaps her in an attempt to return her to her father's home. In this effort he seeks the help of his brother and the two embark upon an idealistic quest to return the girl to the love and safety of her home. The unhappy result of their venture changes the outlooks of both and sets them on paths which diverge from their original plans. Each chooses a new course which is in conflict with his basic personality. The older brother, who had been practical in all of his previous projects, finds himself diving into an alternative culture, whereas the younger, who had been more footloose, joins the military and eventually becomes a policeman. The encounters of both during the almost forty year span of the film gives us many insightful "what ifs" of two lives and reminds us of the enormous effect sheer chance has upon each of us.If you are familiar with the Italian political climate and events during the era of this film, your enjoyment will be heightened , but even someone as politically innocent as I had no trouble understanding the conflicts of the major characters that come from diverging ideologies. (I can probably be pretty much assured that if you are a HSC "regular" you are well versed in the politics of Italy in the latter part of the Twentieth Century.) This film has a great "feel" to it in that it doesn't fall into the trap of being overly melodramatic, which is often the bent of films that span long periods of time. I was left with a good feeling at the end but it arose from having viewed the triumphs and tragedies of a very believable family, a family whose members change and grow as a result of their experience of life just as happens in all families no matter their geographic location.As for geographic location, the viewer of this film is treated to many memorable scenes of Italy from the grit of the city to the blissful pleasures of the islands. The experience is one of a resident of the country rather than a tourist who only has privy to a gossamer view.If you enjoy excellent film-making and a good story, I have no doubt that you will also be "carried along by the narrative flow" just as Mr. Ebert and I can guarantee you that you will enjoy the ride.

This is the most beautiful film I have ever had the pleasure of watching. 6 hours seems short compared to how long this film with affect me for. There are countless moments where one cannot help but smile and stare in awe of this work. The camera work is stunning, the acting is gorgeous, the locations are sumptuous, the breadth and quality of the music is wonderful; I cannot think of another film that one can say that about. And that is not even touching upon other virtues such as how witty, philosophically deep and politically moving it is. It is quite simply a tour de force of film making. I defy anyone to watch this and not be enthralled and moved by its beauty. Incredible.