Reality

Aniello Arena stars as Luciano, a fish stand owner and neighborhood clown who finds himself in the running for Big Brother TV show after what he thinks is a great audition. As he waits for the casting call, he gets a bit obsessed with the notion of being on TV, and he starts making some big mistakes. Director Matteo Garrone’s movie plays a lot like Martin Scorcese’s King of Comedy, especially when Luciano tracks down one of the show’s stars in a bathroom and basically harasses him. Like Comedy, it’s an uncomfortable watch at times; Arena makes Luciano quite likeable, so it’s hard to see him go a little crazy. It’s a well made, good looking movie that qualifies as somewhat of a downer and, considering the subject matter, that’s probably appropriate.