Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Mascarpone: The Rainbow Cake (Maschile Plurale) is a romantic drama that continues the story begun in Mascarpone.
It’s three years after Denis (Eduardo Valdarnini) passed away, and Antonio (Giancarlo Commare) is a well-known pastry chef. Despite his success, he can’t escape the pain of Denis’s passing and Luca (Gianmarco Saurino) leaving him. And despite having dated several men over the years, he can’t find one who can make him forget his feelings for Luca.
When he’s suddenly reunited with Luca, Antonio thinks he may have a chance to get back together with him. But his desires are shattered when he finds out that Luca now in a monogamous relationship with his boyfriend, Tancredi (Andrea Fuorto). But Luca doesn’t seem happy, so Antonio attempts to reignite the spark they once had between them.
Some Thoughts:
Although Mascarpone: The Rainbow Cake (Maschile plurale) has the same actors playing the romantic leads, the story lacks the whimsical fun of the first. It also doesn’t help that the chemistry between Commare and Saurino is dead on arrival. It’s like they’re both going through the motions, which is a shame.
Also, everything Antonio had learned in the first film has gone to pot. He went from being a secure, independent man to a home wrecker with no explanation. If the film took some time to explore how this happened, it would help. But it doesn’t. Instead, it forces a storyline that doesn’t feel plausible because it was never properly set up.
Another problem I have is seeing Luca in a monogamous relationship. What happened to make him change his freewheeling ways? There isn’t even a hint as to why. On top of that, Fuorto and Saurino don’t seem to have anything in common. The only reason we know they’re boyfriends is that we’re told they are. And like Saurino and Commare, there is no sexual spark between them.
With the best parts of the previous film stripped away, we’re left with mediocre acting, cardboard characters, and a tedious storyline.
The Final Verdict:
Mascarpone: The Rainbow Cake (Maschile plurale) loses the magic that made the first film (Mascarpone) so enjoyable. The story feels contrived and the chemistry between Commare and Saurino is lost.