I went in expecting little and ended up enjoying this film more than I anticipated.

The story is funny, self-deprecating, and Chiara is charming, so one can't help but like her on screen. Catherine Deneuve is gorgeous and she has some of the most fun lines in the film.

There were some elements in the story that didn't make sense, however, and it ultimately came down to lazy writing. Some plot points were not properly explained, while expecting he audience was the audience to suspend disbelief, which was already asking too much.

In truth, this is a film for those who know Deneuve, Mastroianni, their history and myth, and who can follow along with the references made throughout the film. I happened to know quite a few of them, so my knowledge carried me along to the end but it feels like it wouldn't be the same for those not in the know.

Probably haunted by the limelight of her star parents or out of boredom or just for fun, Chiara Mastroianni decides to literally become her father until she doesn't want to. She is a little hesitant at the beginning, but then lives into this role and frees herself from other people's expectations of her. She leaves her apartment and her adventure begins. She has a lot of fun, meets old and new people and animals, juggles various languages and it looks like she's enjoying every moment. From what I can see, the whole picture is a beautiful tribute to Mastroianni's life, personality and his acting career. The film is light, though not without a touch of sadness - he is definitely missed by his family. And by us. I believe the actors and the crew had a lot of fun while shooting Marcello Mio. One can feel it from the atmosphere of Paris, and Rome, the singing (we must remember it's an Honoré film!) and the allusions to Mastroianni's films.

Beautiful, light, funny, delicate and personal.

The concept of Chiara Mastroianni living under the shadows of her father (legendary actor Marcello Mastroianni) and exploring the world with actors playing themselves is a interesting concept to explore about reality, nepotism, Italian culture, and community. There are some strong moments that prove of it's good use, but as a whole, filmmaker Christophe Honore crafted something that's just decent.

Provided with good performances, certain good dialogue and structures, Marcello Mio falls into the category of failed meta commentary narratives because it struggles to understand what the tone, the narrative and style the movie really wants to focus on and becomes a habit of being a bit messy. Nevertheless, there are some good dynamics between the characters playing themselves, including some good humorous approaches, and costumes. However, things could have been better.