Made in Italy doesn’t quite hit those emotional notes with the vigour expected, yet the engaging performances from Liam Neeson and Micheal Richardson, not to mention gorgeous Tuscany scenery, makes this a visually pleasing and heartfelt drama.

There is a shadow that looms over Made in Italy that is hard to ignore. Liam Neeson is the father of Micheal Richardson. In 2009, Liam’s wife and Micheal’s mother, Natasha Richardson, died in a skiing accident. Now here in 2020, Neeson and Richardson play Robert and Jack, a father and son still grieving the death of Robert’s wife and Jack’s mother, who died in an accident. Whether writer/director James D’Arcy wrote Made in Italy with Neeson and Richardson in mind is anyone’s guess, yet it does make for an interesting, if not a tad distracting, twist to this story.

That story begins in London, were art dealer Jack is facing not only a divorce from his well-to-do wife Ruth (Yolanda Kettle), but also the closure of his art gallery, which Ruth’s family owns. Desperate for the funds to buy his gallery back, Jack convinces his estranged father Robert, himself an artist of some note, to renovate and sell their villa in Tuscany.

It is the transition from dreary London to lush Tuscany where Made in Italy truly comes to life. The villa, a rundown home neglected for years but with “good bones”, serves as the films visual and symbolic epicentre. Amongst the beautiful scenery and exotic culture of the Italian countryside, D’Arcy plays out light-hearted drama focused on heavy themes of death, grief, and family neglect.

It mostly works, thanks especially to the performances of Neeson and Richardson, who tap into that family bond to make for a chemistry rich pairing in which moments comedic, sad, and heart filled are shared through natural turns. It doesn’t get as raw or intimate as one would guess considering the real life tragedy these actors share, but there is a genuineness to their approach to this story, and D’Arcy is wise enough to give his actors the space to deliver fine turns.

Good too in supporting roles is the disarmingly beautiful Valeria Bilello as a local restaurateur who falls in love with Jack, and Lindsay Duncan as a sharp-witted real estate agent. In fact, the comedy is quite good here, with Richardson showcasing a knack for physical comedy.

Overall, D’Arcy has delivered a film in Made in Italy that has a little bit of everything to make for a pleasant and pleasantly moving film, with the father-son dynamic of Neeson and Richardson especially strong.