‘Hours’ of laughs
No ‘Little’ ambition in riotous take on 14th century tale
A terrific, low-budget surprise in a summer of big league disappointments, “The Little Hours” proves there is no expiration date on comical sexual misbehavior among the outwardly holy.
Based on Giovanni Boccaccio's 14th century cycle of stories complete with a framing device known as “The Decameron,” the Italy-shot film was adapted by American writer-director Jeff Baena (“Life After Beth”). Baena's partner, Aubrey Plaza (“Life After Beth”), is one of the film's producer's and co-stars. The film retains the book's 14th century Tuscan settings and trappings (you may want to Google “Guelph”). But it drops the 14th century language and uses the vernacular, much of it vulgar or lewd, straight out of an episode of HBO's “Girls.” (Hey, isn't that Jemima Kirke as 14th century siren Marta?)
Boasting a comic superstar cast, the film is based on “Day Three, Story One” of the book with largely improvised dialogue by the cast. The action begins in a castle, where handsome young servant Massetto (Dave Franco) is sexually used by the randy, unapologetic, Monty Python-ready wife (Lauren Weedman) of a boring nobleman (a very funny and ridiculously hirsute Nick Offerman).
When the servant is caught in flagrante and threatened with torture and death in the nobleman's dungeon, he flees and meets on the road with the hapless, drunken priest Father Tommasso (John C. Reilly), who has overturned his donkey cart and takes the young man back to the convent where he lives, hears the nuns' confessions and serves Mass. Father Tommasso convinces Massetto to pretend to be a “deaf-mute” and serve as gardener.
Among the nuns are Mother Marea (Molly Shannon), who is Father Tommasso's lover, and young, lust-addled nuns Genevra (Kate Micucci), Alessandra (Alison Brie), whose merchant father (Paul Reiser) has promised to marry her off, and surprisingly foul-mouthed and volatile Sister Fernanda (Plaza).
When these three young women get their hands on bottles of sacramental wine, vows of chastity fly out the window. Alessandra falls in lust with Massetto. Genevra and Fernanda give drunken girl sex a shot. Fred Armisen is a hoot as Bishop Bartolomeo, who pays a surprise visit to the convent.
Among other things, the film is a lesson in the 14th century meanings of the word “sodomy.” Who knew Boccaccio was funny? Those who've read him, and he was writing at a plague-ridden time when the Church could have burned him at the stake.
Are you still laughing? These actors are enormously gifted, and the material remains ripe for the plucking, as they say. Period-influenced music by Dan Romer and cinematography by Quyen Tran are added pluses. Film buffs may remember an equally, if not even more scandalous, adaptation of Boccaccio's classic from Italian bad boy filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini in 1971. Pasolini also adapted Geoffrey Chaucer's “Decameron”-influenced “The Canterbury Tales.” See all
three? I say, Si.
(“The Little Hours” contains nudity, sexually suggestive scenes, profanity and alcohol use.)