Editorial Reviews and
DVD Information about
A Wedding for Bella (aka The Bread, My Sweet)
Amazon.com
People use the word "sleeper" loosely, but A Wedding for Bella (released to theaters as The Bread, My Sweet) truly fits the bill. This tiny-budgeted charmer had modest distribution, but managed to win over the audiences that stumbled across it. In order to please his beloved elders, an Italian-American (Scott Baio) plots to marry a woman (Kristin Minter) he doesn't even know, with much of the action set around the homey ethnic bakery he owns in Pittsburgh. Yes, it's all very Moonstruck, but without the star power or the glossy finish; in fact, the production values (and some of the acting) in this film are variable to the point of clumsy. But there's a warm, intimate mood here that's inextricable from the homemade style. And, in an image-changing turn, former kid star Scott Baio delivers a terrific, assured performance. It's the biggest surprise in a sweet movie. --Robert Horton
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Customer Reviews for
A Wedding for Bella (aka The Bread, My Sweet)
Low Budget movie - don't waste your time - not romantic!
I liked My Big Fat Greek Wedding so I thought this might be good after seeing other comments....this is no where near the quality of acting, filming, directing or anything else that I expected. It's low budget, the filming is what my 12 year old could do, with the camera going back and forth. I couldn't finish it.....it got worse and worse. Don't waste your time or your money. Believe me, it's a really bad movie.A Wedding for Bella (aka The Bread, My Sweet)
Of a life told in mere months' passing, of a wish granted and something about pistachios, and a wedding for Bella
Who would've thunk it, that Scott Baio had it in him to be so good? A WEDDING FOR BELLA features a Scott Baio who is ages removed from his TV heartthrob days of HAPPY DAYS and CHARLES IN CHARGE. Here, he plays Dominic Pyzola, a work-obsessed Italian-American holding down two contrasting gigs. By day, he's a merciless corporate executive, handling mergers and a cold-hearted ace at firing employees. Then he lets his hair down and toils at the biscotti bakery he runs jointly with his two brothers. The heart of the film lies in Dominic scheming to marry the wayward daughter of Bella, an elderly, terminally-ill woman who dwells above the bakery. Bella has been like a mother for the Pyzola boys, and her fondest wish has always been for her independent daughter to finally settle down and start a family. Dominic means to make Bella's wish come true, before she passes on.
A WEDDING FOR BELLA is an unassuming little film with occasional eruptions of color and joviality. It steeps itself in expansive Italian-American culture, yet the characters are played by the actors with enough earnestness and sensitivity that they don't feel too much like caricatures. The film unveils quiet moments which impact on an emotional level and a romance which is lowkey and begins as a contrivance yet ends up being real enough. I thought Kristen Minter as Lucca, Bella's flighty, contrary daughter, was splendid, with wonderfully natural reactions. Rosemary Prinz plays Bella, who decides to live the "six good months" left her with grace and dignity. Prinz is well-cast in the role, although she does come off as too cloying at times. But it was actually a heartrending moment when, after weeks and weeks of cheerfully toughing it out, Bella at last voices her agony. The supporting cast is laudable, especially Shuler Hensley as Pino, the half-witted brother, and John Seitz as Massimo, the half-crazed husband.
It's a simple story, with a plot gimmick which stretches credibility some. So credit Scott Baio with underplaying his character to very good effect, as he makes Dominic's crazy scheme actually seem realistic and workable. And, while a weepy, sad, and bittersweet drama, there's still room here for humorous moments, mostly brought about by the three brothers interacting and by the antics of Massimo, who is a great gruff man.
A WEDDING FOR BELLA isn't a glossy, big budget production. It even seems amateurish, at times. Yet it has a way of eliciting quiet tears and contemplative silences. Even the "big" moments are arrived at without flourish. When Dominic proposes to Lucca, as family members look on, there isn't a grand, rousing speech. The speech he makes is simple and direct, and the question is bluntly proposed. The whole thing is actually a bit awkward, which to me makes it more endearing. A WEDDING FOR BELLA triumphs in its celebration of family ties and a steadfast clinging to ethnic roots. And in Bella's gradual yet defiant decline, it manages to be quietly life-affirming. So, no, A WEDDING FOR BELLA isn't a glossy, big budget production. It's a good movie, though.A Wedding for Bella (aka The Bread, My Sweet)
I Love Pittsburgh
If a friend from Pittsburgh, where I used to live, had not told me about this movie, I would have missed a real winner! It is sweet (without being cloying) AND bittersweet, loving, and tender....just wonderful. Every once in a while a movie like this comes along and gives me hope that more worthwhile movies will be made like this one - without violence, shooting, sex, foul language....just nice healthy films.
The acting was "spot on" and I loved seeing a bit of the city and the Strip District. Scott Baio was wonderful....he sure has developed into a fine actor whom I hope to see in more big-screen movies. He plays a wonderful character in this movie, very multi-faceted.
This is a treat for the senses, especially anyone who enjoys food-related movies!A Wedding for Bella (aka The Bread, My Sweet)
I LOVED This Movie!
Okay, so it ain't "Gone with the Wind", but what it is is a sweet, sad, funny, romantic, warm-hearted movie. The characters were entertaining, the plot was interesting, and Scott Baio proves that he is really a pretty darn good actor. I got a kick out of the older couple who play the Italian parents as they remind me of my own Greek relatives. Other reviewers are complaining saying that the Italian elders are a mere caricature of real people. Let me tell you, coming from an ethnic family...they are not too far off the mark. One would have to grow up like the Greeks or Italians to truly appreciate and embrace all the nuances presented in this film. I highly recommend "A Wedding for Bella". I bought the DVD on the sales rack of a video store on a whim, and I am so glad I did. I can't wait to share it with my brothers.A Wedding for Bella (aka The Bread, My Sweet)
Awkward...
...is how I would describe this movie, if I had to in one word.
I happened to enjoy "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and this film is a bad attempt to replicate that film.
My wife and I sat down to watch this hoping it would be as good as the reviews on the cover. Not even close! I watched about 40 minutes of it and gave up. So to be fair, I did not watch the entire movie. I simply couldn't stomach it. My wife did and reported to me that it never really improved any.
The editing and overall pace was clumsy and awkward. The story seemed forced and absurd. The acting was at times good, but the dialogue was so bad the actors looked silly. When the film attempted to be funny, I actually was embarrassed for the filmmakers because it was NEVER funny. The characters were also unlikeable. The lady that was dying seemed nice enough, but they jump into her ordeal so early in the story that it was hard to feel any serious sympathy because we don't know the character well enough. The woman's husband acts like a jerk and I guess it was supposed to be endearing, but it wasn't. It was irritating. The main character violates the wishes of this dying woman by blabbing about her problem to everyone and then gets mad when they do the same. He also, for some reason, gets a little nuts when he sees people eating cheap food. And then the whole premise of pretending to love and marry someone as one last lie to a dying woman was kind of disturbing. And on and on...
Sorry, but this film left a sickening and awkward feeling during and after viewing it. The only thing my wife and I got out of it was we talked for about an hour later that night about how bad this movie was.
A Wedding for Bella (aka The Bread, My Sweet)
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