Bread and Tulips (2000)

71% of critics liked it
(62 reviews)
83% of users liked it
(5,359 ratings)

Silvio Soldino directs this gentle comedy about a housewife who temporarily flees from the grinding tedium of her household duties and drifts into a world of amicable weirdos. When Rosalba (Licia Maglietta) is accidentally forgotten by her tour bus at a roadside restaurant, she does not wait there… More Silvio Soldino directs this gentle comedy about a housewife who temporarily flees from the grinding tedium of her household duties and drifts into a world of amicable weirdos. When Rosalba (Licia Maglietta) is accidentally forgotten by her tour bus at a roadside restaurant, she does not wait there as instructed. She decides to hitchhike home, but on a whim, she ends up in Venice instead. Quietly exhilarated at the prospect of being alone for a spell, she checks into an inn run by a kindly yet eccentric Icelander (Bruno Ganz). Her plans to return the next day are thwarted when she misses her train and does not have enough money to buy another ticket. Soon she is gainfully employed at a flower shop run by an irascible old anarchist. Though her teenaged sons do not seem all that bothered by their mom's absence, Rosalba's husband grows increasing agitated at the interruption in his routine, so he hires a bumbling detective to track her down. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 56 min.
Directed By: Silvio Soldini
Written By: Silvio Soldini, Doriana Leondeff
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 10, 2001 Limited
On DVD: Mar 26, 2002
Studio: First Look Pictures

Critic Reviews

Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Although Maglietta's appealing as Rosalba, cowriter and director Silvio Scoldini's movie is a little too shopworn and pokey to be more than a respectable European diversion.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
Leisurely paced and very easy to watch.
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
It's almost as if Solidini ... figured that all he had to do was put a crowd of eccentric characters together and magic would occur.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
As for star Licia Maglietta, the appeal of the film is nearly all in her presence.
Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News
A slight tale, charmingly told.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Um filme charmoso e cativante.
Jamie Gillies, Apollo Guide
The last 20 minutes of the film include some of the most romantic filmmaking in a long time.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A feel-good film with a schmaltzy love offering of tulips and bread.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
It is a very positive film in many ways. It argues that just about anybody can be redeemed.
Eric D. Snider, EricDSnider.com
A slow-going but very, very sweet movie.

Read all 10 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

A pleasant film. Not fabulous, but engaging and sweetly amusing, with some enjoyable oddball characters and cute plot twists. What holds the whole thing together well is a likeable, warm, centered performance my Licia Maglietta, whose manages to keep her role from becoming pathetic,… More
A pleasant film. Not fabulous, but engaging and sweetly amusing, with some enjoyable oddball characters and cute plot twists. What holds the whole thing together well is a likeable, warm, centered performance my Licia Maglietta, whose manages to keep her role from becoming pathetic, silly, or annoying--as it might have done in the hands of a different actress. BUT that being said, I almost turned it off several times due to boredom.
Cassie H

A great and wonderful movie set in beautiful Venice. Licia Maglietta had incredible acting in this and would recommend this movie to anyone. :)
El Hombre I

A light comedy about a woman regaining her sense of adventure and independence, the type of movie that leaves a happy feeling. The woman in question is Rosalba, an unappreciated housewife. She lives to serve her family, mistaking her lifestyle for happiness. While on vacation, she… More
A light comedy about a woman regaining her sense of adventure and independence, the type of movie that leaves a happy feeling. The woman in question is Rosalba, an unappreciated housewife. She lives to serve her family, mistaking her lifestyle for happiness. While on vacation, she goes to the bathroom only to find that her family left, forgetting to take her with them. After seeing Bread and Tulips, the words that come to mind are "sweet" and "charming". It isn't a great film but it is a nice film that has its heart in the right place. You're behind Rosalba and her decision every step of the way, especially when you meet the people that become her new family. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=breadtulips.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/breadtulips.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Daniel P

Beware this film if you make your own wine, because there may be no better movie to sit down in front of with a partner and a fresh bottle. The real trouble is that it's such a delight to watch, you could do it again and again and again. Without summarizing too much, Rosalba… More
Beware this film if you make your own wine, because there may be no better movie to sit down in front of with a partner and a fresh bottle. The real trouble is that it's such a delight to watch, you could do it again and again and again. Without summarizing too much, Rosalba deserts her family and teaches them a lesson by disappearing to Venice for an extended period of time after a less-than-enjoyable family vacation. In Venice she discovers herself and la Dolce Vita, making new friends but still feeling the bittersweet pull back home, all the while farcically evading the "private detective" sent after her by her husband. A great escape, witty and beautiful, this film won a pile of Donatello awards (Italy's equivalent to the Oscars), and it's light-hearted without being brainless. Che buon film!
Leigh R

I like this movie. So wonderful.
Daisy M

This Italian movie Bread and Tulips was sweet, innocent and it fits in perfect harmony.Could be to the setting, it was filmed in Venice Italy, or to its characters,who were very human and comical at times. This made it so enjoyable to watch because the emotions were real. It told the… More
This Italian movie Bread and Tulips was sweet, innocent and it fits in perfect harmony.Could be to the setting, it was filmed in Venice Italy, or to its characters,who were very human and comical at times. This made it so enjoyable to watch because the emotions were real. It told the story of Rosalba, a housewife, who was left behind by her family during a vacation by the tour bus. She hitchhiked to Venice, where she felt herself alive and belonging somewhere.The movie featured a love story between 2 persons,not young,but still in the prime of their lives. Italian actress Licia Maglietta was the perfect leading lady for the movie. and formed good chemistry with Bruno Ganz, who had the best lines of the movie, that almost sound poetic.This movie tells you a story about life and giving you material to think about those little things that makes it worth while.
Bill C

Avery pleasant film if you are in the mood for it. Traveling in a bus tour Rosalba is left behind at rest stop. She is in her early 40’s and her children are leaving home and she is left with her philandering egocentric husband. Rosalba experiences are the focus of the film and she is… More
Avery pleasant film if you are in the mood for it. Traveling in a bus tour Rosalba is left behind at rest stop. She is in her early 40’s and her children are leaving home and she is left with her philandering egocentric husband. Rosalba experiences are the focus of the film and she is not a big talker her emotions and intents are conveyed primarily through her actions, expressions and surrealistic dream sequences. She hitchhikes to Venice because she always wanted to go and meets some eccentric people. The pivotal one is Bruno Ganz a waiter with a past who takes the most inane conversation and make it sound like he’s a circus barker. Rosbalba does not have money to find a hotel room in Venice and Ganz offers one of the rooms in his flat. They develop a very good relation ship (not physical by the way) that qualm his suicidal intentions. Several other interesting characters enter the picture, but the tone of the film always is subdued.