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Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, Dave Franco and Nick Offerman tear up the middle ages in this raunchy and hilarious sex-farce based on The Decameron.
Specifically, The Little Hours adapts the first story of the third day of Giovanni Boccaccio’s medieval collection of erotic, tragic, comedic and didactic tales: a Black Death-era 'Nuns Gone Wild' in which sisters Alessandra (Brie), Fernanda (Ingrid Goes West’s Plaza) and Ginevra (Kate Micucci) are hella thirsty for their convent’s new deaf-mute but-not-really gardener, Masseto (Franco).
Written and directed by Jeff Baena (Life After Beth, MIFF 2014) and also featuring Molly Shannon, Fred Armisen, John C Reilly, Jemima Kirke and Paul Reiser, The Little Hours is the best kind of anachronism, playing Boccaccio as it would be had he written his bawdy, Chaucer-inspiring tales in the 21st century. It’s period accurate in setting and score – by composer Dan Romer via Hildergard of Bingen – but unapologetically 2017 in every other way. Unsurprisingly, the film has attracted some Catholic ire for 'wrongly featuring priests and nuns taking part in immoral acts and using foul language' so let that be your warning and settle in for an irreverently millennial medieval good time.
'A riotous medieval-era sex romp played with lunatic conviction by a great cast.' – RogerEbert.com