The constant interruption of everyone's cell phone while trying to carry on a live conversation was completely annoying. Letting landline phones ring ad nauseum, are there no answering machines in Italy? The plot was hard to follow at times because the scene cuts were awkward and flowed poorly. I was surprised how many sexual references and scenes were interspersed with actual dialogue. One reviewer mentioned that Americans would not understand all the infidelity issues covered in the film. They were correct, it was overdone and about as effective as the light bulbs burning out amidst Agata's moods.Since this film was nominated for many awards, I am disheartened to think that more recent productions present such low caliber of entertainment, has Italy lost it's touch? Fellini made you think, react, and surprised you, despite low production value. I have seen many foreign films and if this was my first, I would be very tempted to skip further soporific attempts. Hopefully, Bread and Tulips may redeem this effort.Overall recommend for eye candy handsome men, pastoral scenery, but you can get this in many other films. Just plain dumbed down fodder.

I thought Silvio Soldini's previous film, Blood and Tulips< was very good, so I thought I would give him another try.This film was nominated for eight David di Donatello awards (Italian Oscar). Sadly, it won none, but that doesn't take away from it's excellence.Licia Maglietta, Rosalba in Blood and Tulips, is Agata, a middle-aged book store owner. She starts and affair with Nico (Claudio Santamaria), who is 13 years younger. A cougar? (In Italy, a puma) Meanwhile, her brother Gustavo (Emilio Solfrizzi) finds out that he was the product of a one night stand, and has a brother, Romeo (Giuseppe Battiston). I have to say that Romeo is one flashy dresser.The characters mentioned and their partners go through the travails of life with humor and love and sadness, just as we ll do. It was a sweet picture.

Agatha, a middle aged woman, owns a bookshop. She is divorced and has a special relationship with her brother. Her brother, a successful architect, just got caught in an identity crisis. He just heard he has a bohemian brother and his mother just died. You have to keep your mind at the story, because the first 15 minutes it was quite confusing, but we are following Agatha and she really is confusing! She thinks she has it all sorted out and than one day she is in love and her love is really heavy, because it's great energy. This is funny, because she cannot control it yet, so she let light bulbs burst and with her energy she can control traffic-lights. There are a great deal of extraordinary characters in this movie by Silvio Soldini, who also is the director of Pane e Tulipani. In this movie the leading character of Agatha is played by Licia Maglietta, who looks great and want the world to know it! I enjoyed it very much and despite of the first 15 minutes i invite everyone who likes Italian movies with a lot of characters and story lines to go and see this movie!

Silvio Soldini has created another masterpiece, perhaps not quiteas good as 'Pane e Tulipani', and yet perhaps it is even better. The movie has an ethereal quality, Fellini without the black edges. Licia Maglietta is wonderful, she expresses feelings with a littletwist of her face better than anyone, she is a delight to watch. Theattitude of the characters to infidelity, which pervades all their lives,is classic Italian… something that the Anglo Saxon / Americanmind can't understand. The characters are reminiscent of the three men in SandraNettelbeck's 'Bella Martha' who all manage to live their liveswithout killing anyone or even revealing a nasty sinister inner-self, a refreshing change and perhaps not totally divorced from reality. This is a movie for those with romance in their soul, it challengesus to dream and shows us the power of belief, it is very funny,thoroughly entertaining and leaves you with warm glow. Ten out often!