Passione 2010

A.O. Scott, New York Times: While "Passione" praises the spirit of its subjects, it also attends to the discipline and tenacity that makes them worth noticing. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: A thorough and thoroughly enjoyable documentary about Neapolitan folk music old and new... Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Loosely structured as a sort of musical travelogue, with 23 song performances interwoven, it's as passionate as the singers it showcases, enveloping the viewer in the soulful music it celebrates. Read more

Sam Adams, AV Club: As a mix-tape, Passione opens up many possibilities for more guided listening, but as a film, it's at times maddeningly incomplete. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Close to the sublime, especially if you have a thing for sensuous Italians of either gender unleashing ballads of soaring romantic masochism. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: What Turturro, who appears in the film as a combination tour guide and impresario, has come up with is closer to a fantasia than a traditional documentary. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: A beautifully structured and photographed film, John Turturro's rapturous "Passione" offers a vibrant exploration and celebration of Neapolitan music in all its grit and glory... Read more

Mark Jenkins, NPR: Viewers who require more context may be frustrated, but the movie is always lively, and its loose approach to history suits its impressionistic style. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: It can sometimes be hard to sit through, but another song is coming soon, and anyway, close your eyes and imagine you're on vacation, sipping vino in a piazza, soaking in the street life. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: Who needs talking heads for a documentary when they can have singing heads and dancing bodies? Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Passione is a surprise and a delight from beginning to end. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: It's a happy ramble through the storied streets with Turturro as our guide, not pretending to be an expert; it's more like having a good friend take you to this place he really loves. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: [A] ironic, flamboyant and sentimental anthology of the divergent and colliding musical styles of Naples... Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: This is a one-of-a-kind documentary. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Turturro creates the sense that music spews spontaneously from the average Neapolitan and limits the film's educational quotient. But as anyone who has been to Naples knows, you don't go there to learn but to live, out loud. Read more

Leslie Felperin, Variety: Pic's pleasant collage of reportage and musical perfs features locally renowned recording artists adding their contempo spin to classic Neapolitan songs, often while acting out mini melodramas at the same time in real locations. Read more

Melissa Anderson, Village Voice: Works best when its director tamps down his impulse to enhance the performances with florid narratives, focusing on just the singer and the song. Read more

Adam Bernstein, Washington Post: Entertainers bloom from nowhere, sing and then vanish - it's rather like an extended music video. Read more