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A boxoffice hit in Italy when it opened in April, five months later The Best Day of My Life is the surprise winner of the Grand Prix of Americas, top prize at the Montreal World Film Festival. While a crowd-pleaser and obviously appealing to the jury, Life was one of three Italian films in competition and was hardly universally loved. Most likely its win here will not increase the drama's lackluster commercial destiny beyond southern Europe.

Centered around a family struggling to cope with itself, with much of the action taking place in the villa of the domineering widowed grandmother, Life is talky, overloaded with narration and mostly so overlit it's distracting. Three grown-up siblings are messily working through life issues, with lovers, hapless husbands and children caught in the shifting currents.

Alas, it's possible to not develop a burning interest in Rita (Sandra Ceccarelli), who hasn't had sex with her husband (Marco Baliani) since she had a second daughter. Rita starts to fall for a younger man (Jean Hughes Anglade). Then there's her older sister Sara (Margherita Buy), who compensates for being a depressed widow by fretting over her son (Francesco Scianna).

Of primary concern is whether the young man will turn out to be another Claudio Luigi Lo Cascio), Rita and Sara's gay brother, who has not come out to the entire family. The sisters are not heartless, just typically self-absorbed. There's one scene that vibrantly captures the milieu. In a dog-related case of kismet, Claudio's lover (Marco Quaglia) wanders onto the villa and is discovered by Irene (Virna Lisi), the aging matriarch who spends a lot of time remembering the glories of the past, when the family was together all the time.

Irene insists that the young man stay for dinner, with Claudio put in the awkward position of having to treat him like a stranger, until Irene's opinions about gays and just about everything else causes the meal to break up. From then on, things get better for Claudio, but there's little beyond good acting, some situational comedy and occasional snappy dialogue to keep one's attention focused.

Directed with minimal flair by Cristina Comencini, also a novelist, and co-written by her with Giulia Calenda and Lucilla Schiaffino, Life weirdly turns arty with several sex scenes near the conclusion that practically insert the camera between participants. It's hardly a joyful release.

Ultimately, the film becomes a predictable, heady melodrama fixated on Italian family values that tries to win approval with its universal themes. But for some, it will be a fruitless task to sit through.

THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE

Cattleya, Rai Cinema

Credits:

Director: Cristina Comencini

Screenwriters: Cristina Comencini, Giulia Calenda, Lucilla Schiaffino

Producers: Riccardo Tozzi, Marco Chimenz, Giovanni Stabilini

Director of photography: Fabio Cianchetti

Production designer: Paola Comencini

Editor: Cecilia Zanuso

Costume designer: Antonella Berardi

Music: Franco Piersanti

Cast:

Irene: Virna Lisi

Sara: Margherita Buy

Carlo: Marco Baliani

Claudio: Luigi Lo Cascio

Rita: Sandra Ceccarelli

Marco: Francesco Scianna

Davide: Jean Hughes Anglade

Sandro: Ricky Tognazzi

Luca: Marco Quaglia

Running time -- 102 minutes

No MPAA rating...

MONTREAL -- Italian director Cristina Comencini received the Grand Prix of Americas prize Monday for her latest feature, The Best Day of My Life, at the 26th Montreal World Film Festival. The top prize-winning film is about a 60-year-old grandmother, living alone in the family villa in Rome, who attempts to get three generations to reunite under her roof. The picture beat out 25 other contenders. Other prizes handed out Monday night at the close of the Montreal festival included the Special Grand Prix of the Jury, which went to Turkish director Tayfun Pirselimoglu's "Innowhereland," while Spanish director Carlos Saura's "Salome" received the best artistic contribution awards. Best screenplay went to Diego Arsuaga, who wrote and directed "The Last Train." French actress Sophie Marceau was named best director for her feature film debut, "Speak to Me of Love."...