Like Crazy

Paolo Virzì's comedy-drama inevitably invites comparison to Thelma & Louise since both are about two women on the run from authorities. Beatrice (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) and Donatella (Micaela Ramazzotti) are escapees from a Tuscan mental institution (where both were placed by judicial order). Beatrice is the extrovert, a wild, flamboyant fashion plate who takes morose newcomer Donatella under her wing and encourages her to hop on a public bus and go on an adventure when the hospital's van is late picking them up from a communal outing. The pair engage in wacky behavior—stealing a car, feasting at an elegant restaurant and then fleeing without paying—but they also try to reconnect with their families and other acquaintances (the reason for Donatella's depression—her separation from her son, who is now living with foster parents—eventually takes center stage). For the most part, the balance between humor and drama is sensitively maintained, and the lead performances are excellent, with Tedeschi having a field day playing a character who might have stepped out of Auntie Mame, and Ramazzotti managing to earn our sympathy without ever descending into mawkishness. Recommended. (F. Swietek)