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The online film magazine Combustible Celluloid offers new movie reviews, DVD reviews, film reviews, actor interviews, actress interviews, director interviews, film books and all things cinema related for the thoughtful and passionate. Online for ten years! Over 3000 reviews!

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Vitus (2007)

Rating: 2 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Ham and Keys

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Posters at Moviegoods.com

A child piano prodigy (played by Fabrizio Borsani at age six and Teo Gheorghiu at age 12) finds life as a genius rather constricting, and so he fakes an accident so that he can live a "normal" life. Bruno Ganz (Wings of Desire) plays the boy's delightful grandfather. Fredi M. Murer's film from Switzerland is way too long and far too precious; Vitus' parents start off as selfish and move on to stupid, while the grandfather is benevolent and kindly to the point of parody. Some of his moments of whimsy seem calculated specifically to cut together a theatrical trailer (watch for the scene in which he and Vitus launch love letters attached to blue balloons). Still, it has a lighthearted touch and fluid sense of music that make it a passable entertainment. Vitus screened as part of the 50th San Francisco International Film Festival.

Starring: Fabrizio Borsani, Teo Gheorghiu, Julika Jenkins, Urs Jucker, Bruno Ganz, Eleni Haupt, Kristina Lykowa, Tamara Scarpellini, Daniel Rohr, Norbert Schwientek, Heidy Forster, Daniel Fueter, Livia S. Reinhard, Susanne Kunz, Thomas Mathys, Ursula Reiter, Annelore Sarbach, Adrian Fuhrer, Frank Demenga, Stefan Witschi, Stefan Schertenleib, Andreas KrŠmer
Written by: Fredi M. Murer, Peter Luisi, Lukas B. Suter
Directed by: Fredi M. Murer
MPAA Rating: PG for mild thematic elements and language
Language: Swiss German with English subtitles
Running Time: 123 minutes
Date: July 13, 2007