"Harvest" Movie Review: When Good Cheer Isn't Enough to Stave Off Death

Robert Loggia gives a charming performance as Siv Monopoli, patriarch of a squabbling Italian family somewhere in New England. It's unfortunate that Harvest, written and directed by Marc Meyers, concerns Siv's decline and death, so that scenes of the old man happily riding his bike through town and amazing everyone...

By Aimee Levitt

March 10, 2011

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Robert Loggia gives a charming performance as Siv Monopoli, patriarch of a squabbling Italian family somewhere in New England. It's unfortunate that Harvest, written and directed by Marc Meyers, concerns Siv's decline and death, so that scenes of the old man happily riding his bike through town and amazing everyone with his joie de vivre alternate with scenes of him lying in bed in mortal agony. Sadly, there are more bed scenes as the movie goes on, as Siv is tended to by his two bickering sons, his martyr of a daughter, and his mopey college-aged grandson, who can't believe he has to spend summer vacation with the old folks instead of with his friends at the beach. Sure, life is tough, but we couldn't help but wish Siv had passed on some of his good cheer to his offspring.

Aimee Levitt is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in many publications, including the Guardian, Eater, and Texas Monthly. Previously, she was on staff at the Chicago Reader and the Riverfront Times in St. Louis as well as The Takeout and Eater Chicago, where her stories received recognition from the Poynter Rally Awards, the AAN AltWeekly Awards, the National Association of Black Journalists, and Best American Essays. She earned a BA in English at Northwestern and holds MA degrees from Florida Atlantic University (English) and Columbia University (journalism).

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"Harvest" Movie Review: When Good Cheer Isn't Enough to Stave Off Death

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