A return to the old school

Rating: Null/10 (16 July 2003)

I entered the theater in the company of a grumbling 12 year old. He was complaining for a reason that my generation (I'm 26) has difficulty understanding. The movie was Pg-13, he said. If it's not rated R, how can it possibly be good? Well, I told him, helping myself to his huge bag of skittles, let's see.
One empty skittles bag later (about 10 minutes into the movie), he was a convert. A true believer. The Italian Job is one of those movies that just works. It's a combination of good scripting, fine acting, and perfect pacing. Granted, it's fairly predictable and ultimately ends the way any hollywood movie should. But we are taken for a fun ride along the way, and it's hard not to feel the energy and commitment from the cast. Everyone is having a wonderful time making this movie. The car chases left my hands sweaty; the capers were well thought out and clever.
Although every movie requires that the lead have a love interest, the directors here handle it brilliantly, with a noticeable freshness. The well put together Charlize Theron plays the part of the love interest, and she does it quite well. She is cast as a reserved safecracker opposite the usually doltish Mark Wahlberg, who fails to make an ass of himself in this film, which is a genuine step up. But these two attracted leads never sleep together, they never even kiss. The culmination of their clear desire for each other resides in a warm, consoling hug. And this is typical of the entire movie. They leave things up to your imagination.
The Italian Job pulls its punches, but delivers quite well. It is subtle, endearing, and very PG-13. The gratuitous violence, needless profanity, and pointless sex are all missing. It is a step into the past, but i believe it to be a step in the right direction. Even my young companion admitted his approval, as he jammed another brightly colored candy into his mouth.