Big question: Can a freewheeling farce reveal anything else about a young heartthrob who bedded more dames than Wilt Chamberlain?
Skip it: Without revealing any persona behind the super-stud or legitimate reason for settling down, Casanova (Heath Ledger) comes off not as someone who warrants encouragement in his quest for romantic bliss, but a horndog who deserves a swift kick where the Venetian sun don’t shine.
Catch it if: You like sex in a gondola.
Bottom line: “Casanova” employs Shakespearean techniques of absurdity and mistaken identities but ignores all moral consequences. The main character starts out a liar and remains a liar, using women for sex and calling it a search for romance.
Bonus: If you’ve never seen Oliver Platt lying down, shirtless, covered in lard and mint jelly, well, you haven’t lived.
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mpais@tribune.com
