Utterly boring, with the exception of Chalamet's excellent performance

Rating: 4/10 (12 January 2018)

This is what happens when (at least my personal) expectations are set too high. Reading many from the other reviews I even wonder whether we all watched the same film. I strongly feel that the stars are mainly given due to the "delicacy" of the subject (which, however, is not even really addressed in the movie), or its being non-main stream.
I was eager to watch a film, in which James Ivory was involved, since the name is sort of a guarantee. Unfortunately it was quite disappointing. I do not know Ivory's personal involvement in the subject of coming out (neither do I consider it relevant), but compared to Maurice, this one has no real reason to exist whatsoever. The storyline is easily told within half a line: Oliver comes as an assistant to spend some time with the family of an art professor, the son of which, Elio, falls for him. And that's it. Besides the super long aimlessly hanging around there is nothing really happening to justify the film. No internal struggle due to homosexuality, due to age difference, due to Oliver getting engaged, due to Oliver being the assistant to Elio's father. None. Just some half naked bodies hanging around and a series of Elio's tries to approach a much older guy, who is simply indifferent (I do not know whether because the script wanted it or simply bad acting). Oliver kisses the much younger Elio in one moment, rejects him the next without any obvious or implied explanation, only to show him his bruises in his abdomen a few seconds later.
The father tries very hard to look like Robin Williams, but fails miserably at tacitly communicating any inner feelings to the audience (provided he is supposed to) like Williams would. He ends up being a father who is absent with the exception, when he consoles his son in the most understanding way thinkable. There is also a mother whose presence is not even noticed, and a girlfriend (Elio's) who is equally understanding and magnanimous, so that no one actually brings any real significance to the plot. Boring as hell, it offers nothing but superb landscapes (thanks to the Italian province, but then again there are much better documentaries for this).
IMHO any film must present some action, be it real hero-like action, inner emotional/social development action (which can be twice as captivating, as we are so much used to from other films of Ivory's), or personality analysis/discovery. This one doesn't.
Notwithstanding the overall mediocrity, I must certainly praise Chalamet's performance, who excels as a teenager battling with boiling emotions, and surely saves the day, although his last scene should be cut in half. I give the film four stars, three exclusively for Chalamet, and one for Italy.
I suggest you watch the film only if you like mediterranean landscapes and in order to appreciate a young actor's talent.