Less than great, a whole lot less than exceptable also

Rating: 4/10 (1 September 2001)

John Madden's Captain Corelli's Mandolin is a film which lags and sags, and it is pretty pathetic at times. Some lush settings and John Hurt don't make up for inane dialogue, and braindead performances.
Penelope Cruz lives on a island that has been pretty secluded since, oh I'd guess since the dawn of time? Ok, not the greatest sarcasm. Anyway, she has a fiance, played by Christian Bale who doesn't really fit the role of a greece type of person unfortunately, and she will marry him as soon as he comes back from the war. But while he's away, the Italians come in to the island and it should seem that her world might seem normal anyway. But then her father, played by Hurt who is the only watchable guy in the movie, lets an Italian Opera soldier (is that what you'd call this contradiction of a man) played by Nicolas cage with Italian accent and all, inter her home. And I don't think I need to go any further, not because it's unthinkable, but because I don't want to drone on with the obvious plot points.
Not reccomendable, unless you are a really die-hard fan of Madden's last film Shakespeare in Love (which I felt was ludicrous when it came time to the Oscars) or the novel it's based on. C-