Tea With Mussolini

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Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Franco Zeffirelli

Producer:

Marco Chimenz, Clive Parsons

Release Date:

May 14, 1999

Runtime:

1hr 57m

Synopsis

An orphaned Italian boy is raised amongst a circle of British and American women living in Mussolini's Italy before and during World War II.

Cast

  • Cher
  • Judi Dench
  • Joan Plowright
  • Maggie Smith
  • Lily Tomlin
  • Baird Wallace
  • Charlie Lucas
  • Massimo Ghini
  • Paolo Seganti
  • Claudio Spadaro

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.3
9.8K
3.2K
1.6K
RATINGS 25 FANS
3.3
  • Mar 25, 2024

    Nothing can stop Maggie Smith in this movie from looking down her nose at everyone. She is the widow of an ambassador who once knew Mussolini and she’s not going to let you forget it. Maggi Smith is basically playing a younger version of the Dowager Countess and it’s pretty…

    159 Likes
    Kylo
    Kylo
    Apr 13, 2025

    the cast being british actress royalty and cher is legendary

    144 Likes
    theo
    theo
    Jan 30, 2019

    the sheer presence of lily tomlin in this film was incredible. all i wanted was more of this badass, italian-speaking, trouser-wearing, jumped-an-armed-guard-and-took-him-out, hat-wearing, art-loving lesbian. also maggie, judi and cher......*tips fedora*

    118 Likes
    ellie🦒
    ellie🦒
  •
    May 6, 2019

    luca needed a father, and he got the best daddy of them all, cher!!!

    86 Likes
    sarah
    sarah
    Jan 18, 2022

    Young Luca: I'm obsessed with women The women: Joan Plowright, Judi Dench, Maggi Smith, Lily Tomlin and Cher

    83 Likes
    jorgemol
    jorgemol
    Jan 2, 2021

    Felt fully fulfilled watching a film about an artistic boy raised by eccentric women with my eccentric mum and nana as they remark on whether art imitates life or vice-versa 💕

    80 Likes
    Will Steele
    Will Steele
  •
    Jan 9, 2021

    had a chance to make a movie where cher spits on mussolini’s hanging corpse and they fumbled it. what’s the point

    49 Likes
    al
    al
    Apr 30, 2020

    There’s something about british legends shouting Shakespeare verses to a moving train, Cher escaping on a boat, Lily Tomlin being her gay self and Italian scenery that you can’t describe. I love it

    44 Likes
    rayen
    rayen
    Feb 9, 2018

    There’s a scene in this film where Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith and Lily Tomlin overpower a fascist squad. Think about Mad Max but in a lovely Italian village.

    42 Likes
    Dassa
    Dassa

Atom Users Reviews

No one has posted a user review yet.

Metacritic

53
metacritic
Based on 26 Critics
7.4

USER SCORE (22)

Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Reviews
40

Tea With Mussolini doesn't come close to John Boorman's captivating Hope and Glory, which managed to address the terrible destructiveness and misery of the war as well as the magical adventure it offered its young protagonist.

Jean Oppenheimer
Dallas Observer
33

The film values quips and declamations over natural conversation (or an explanation of how such intelligent women could have been so blind to world events).

Metacritic review by Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Tea With Mussolini (1999) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as PG (Parental Guidance Suggested). It's generally considered a family-friendly movie.
How long is Tea With Mussolini (1999)?
The movie is 1hr 57min long.
What's Tea With Mussolini (1999) about?
An orphaned Italian boy is raised amongst a circle of British and American women living in Mussolini's Italy before and during World War II.
Who's the cast of Tea With Mussolini (1999)?
  • Cher as Elsa Morganthal Strauss-Armistan
  • Judi Dench as Arabella
  • Joan Plowright as Mary Wallace
  • Maggie Smith as Lady Hester Random
  • Lily Tomlin as Georgie Rockwell
  • Baird Wallace as Luca
  • Charlie Lucas as Luca (Child)
  • Massimo Ghini as Paolo Guarnieri
  • Paolo Seganti as Vittorio Fanfanni
  • Claudio Spadaro as Mussolini
Who's the director behind Tea With Mussolini (1999)?
Franco Zeffirelli directed Tea With Mussolini (1999).
Who produced Tea With Mussolini (1999)?
Marco Chimenz and Clive Parsons produced Tea With Mussolini (1999).