La critique de James Berardinelli (suite)

Puccini for Beginners is littered with witty dialogue, although some of it is so obviously scripted that it can become off-putting.Granted,no one in the real world talks with verbal rapiers drawn as they do in Oscar Wilde plays, but Maggenti isn't Wilde. The three main characters - Allegra, Philip, and Grace - are likable, if a little self- absorbed. The film makes some valid points about love and commitment, although there's nothing here that could be considered new.

Fortunately, it's presented in a way that never feels stale or moldy. And the Sapphic angle is more organic than trendy. This is a critical element - it makes Puccini for Beginners a "romantic comedy" (that happens to feature lesbians) rather than a "lesbian romantic comedy." Maggenti's debut feature, The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love, was a lesbian romantic comedy.