Overview
In the hedonistic underbelly of 90s Rome, two friends navigate a world of excess and despair.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- bleak
- melancholic
- intimate
- reflective evening
- arthouse film night
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The plot centers on cocaine, heroin, synthetic drugs, luxury cars, nightclubs, and robberies surrounding Cesare and Vittorio.
Vittorio attempts to save himself while remaining emotionally bound to Cesare as Cesare sinks deeper into addiction and crime.
The story is explicitly set between Rome and Ostia, in the outskirts associated with Pasolini's films.
Vittorio seeks a future with new eyes while Cesare's descent makes that hope fragile and emotionally costly.
Films like Don't Be Bad, and why
La paranza dei bambini
Shared focus on youthful criminal lives, drug-fueled hedonism, male friendship, and social marginalization in an urban Italian setting.
Gomorrah
Shared neorealist-inflected crime drama atmosphere, troubled young men, and intimate attention to friendship amid poverty and criminality.
A Prophet
Shared themes of destructive addiction, male friendship, moral compromise, and the possibility of personal change within a bleak social environment.
Movie Details
- Director
- Claudio Caligari
- Release Date
- 2015-09-08
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Rating
- 7.8 / 10 (1059)
Cast
- Luca Marinelli
- Alessandro Borghi
- Silvia D'Amico
- Roberta Mattei
- Alessandro Bernardini
- Valentino Campitelli
- Elisabetta De Vito
- Emanuela Fanelli
- Giulia Greco
- Claudia Ianniello
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Don't Be Bad about?
- Two young friends navigate the drug-soaked criminal underworld of 1990s Rome and Ostia as loyalty collides with the possibility of escape.
- What is Don't Be Bad like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Don't Be Bad as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Don't Be Bad violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Don't Be Bad as moderate.
- Which films are like Don't Be Bad?
- Films with a similar feel include La paranza dei bambini, Gomorrah, and A Prophet.
- How long is Don't Be Bad?
- Don't Be Bad runs 102 minutes.
- Where can I watch Don't Be Bad?
- In United States, Don't Be Bad is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
