Quartile rating: 5/10 · 1 rating
Lillo (Christian De Sica) married Milena, one of the richest women in Europe. The marriage contract provides that Lillo undertakes to never cheat on her, under penalty of divorce and not even a penny of alimony. But one day he meets Barbara (Sabrina Ferilli) and it's immediately irresistible passion... Filippo Vessato (Fabio De Luigi) is a young surgeon who, to make a career, is forced to suffer the harassment of his head, Professor Benci (Claudio Bisio). Filippo is about to go to New York to get married and Benci does not miss an opportunity to further harass him by asking him to bring a gift to his son, a "model" student at Riverside College.
Natale a New York is a textbook cinepanettone entry — a formulaic Italian holiday comedy built on recycled adultery gags, broad stereotypes, and predictable misunderstandings transplanted to a tourist-friendly foreign setting. The plot offers nothing beyond the well-worn template of the genre, with De Sica in his usual role as a lecherous husband and Bisio playing the stock overbearing boss. Acting is serviceable within the low-ambition register the genre demands but nothing more. Cinematography is competent TV-level work with little visual distinction. Novelty scores a 1 because this is essentially the same film made every Christmas under a different city name, offering no distinctive voice or craft. The ending resolves predictably with no surprise or emotional resonance.