Prime Video’s “Everybody Loves Diamonds” should be a slick ride, but a heist story told in 8 episodes makes the ride stop-and-start.
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“Everybody Loves Diamonds” General Information
| Created By | Gianluca Maria Tavarelli |
| Release Date (Prime Video) | October 13, 2023 |
| Genre(s) | Comedy |
| Noted Characters | |
| Leonardo Notarbartolo | Kim Rossi Stuart |
| Anna | Anna Foglietta |
| Ghigo | Gianmarco Tognazzi |
| Sandra | Carlotta Antonelli |
| Alberto | Leonardo Liti |
| Inspector Mertens | Johan Heldenbergh |
Plot Summary
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“Everybody Loves Diamonds” is based on the true story of the Antwerp Diamond Heist, the largest diamond robbery in the world. Heist movies come with their own stylistic tropes that keep the story quick-paced, fun, and often cool. The mission always seems impossible; there are often twists and turns, and there’s normally a third-act magic trick that audiences don’t see coming. Heist stories are lighthearted entertainment that give the audience a chance to vicariously experience a robbery. “Everybody Loves Diamonds” knows what viewers want and enjoys every trope in the genre, but the show quickly becomes flashy and cheeky to a fault.
“Everybody Loves Diamonds” is about a team of skilled and charming Italian thieves, led by Leonardo Notarbartolo (Kim Rossi Stuart), and how they pulled off the perfect crime. But just a few days later, Notarbartolo is caught by the authorities. For 8 episodes, the international-caper “Everybody Loves Diamonds” depicts how the heist was planned and the aftermath of Notarbartolo and his team’s actions. While Notarbartolo denies any part of the heist, his loved ones and friends’ lives are at risk as he tries to figure out what went wrong. Was there a rat? Where are the diamonds? And what will happen to Notarbartolo and his team? The story is told with tremendous speed, twists, and thrills that keep viewers eagerly trying to guess what will happen next.
From the moment Notarbartolo addresses the camera, “Everybody Loves Diamonds” makes an unapologetic statement about what type of show it is. The Italian/English-language series enjoys winking at its audience. But the show winks and smiles so much that the style becomes distracting from the story it’s trying to tell. Instead of feeling like a thrilling caper, “Everybody Loves Diamonds” becomes an 8-hour sketch.
Review
Our Rating: Mixed (Stick Around)
Who Is This For?
People who enjoy heist movies depicting characters stealing a highly protected item might enjoy “Everybody Loves Diamonds.”
Highlights
An Exercise in Stylistic Storytelling
“Everybody Loves Diamonds” knows how to show, not tell. Split-screens, canted angles, slow-motion, crash zooms, and flashy graphics are all used to detail how impenetrable the center of the diamonds is and how Notarbartolo’s team pulled off the heist. The show uses every filming trick in the book to engage and entertain. The resulting effect is a story that’s told with such urgency and expertise that it becomes its own magic trick.
On The Fence
Heist Tropes on Full Display
For those unfamiliar with the true story, the most interesting moment in “Everybody Loves Diamonds” is seeing Notarbartolo get caught by the end of the first episode. But the rest of the series unfolds with so many heist cliches that it feels more like a parody than an actual entry in the genre. We see the assembling of the team and how each character is labeled by their job; each character gets a predictable line (“This will never work!”/”We’ll go to prison for life!”); and we see the planning, execution,and aftermath of the robbery. Genre tropes can be enjoyable, but because we’ve seen them before, they start to feel like white noise in “Everybody Loves Diamonds.”
Hammy Acting Can Be Distracting
Gianmarco Tognazzi is kept in a ridiculous wig and sunglasses for most of the show. The look inspires fun but also signals to the audience to never take the story too seriously. With the constant winks at the camera, fits of screaming, and embrace of heist tropes, “Everybody Loves Diamonds” becomes a Muppet movie without any Muppets in it.
What I Hope To See
“Everybody Loves Diamonds” ends conclusively. Each character gets closure. Most heist stories have taken place in the course of a 2-hour movie; seeing this done in an 8-hour show can feel stretched thin and repetitive. “Everybody Loves Diamonds” could have been potentially more memorable and entertaining as a movie than a series.
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Everybody Loves Diamonds - Review
Summary
Prime Video’s “Everybody Loves Diamonds” should be a slick ride, but a heist story told in 8 episodes makes the ride stop-and-start.
User Review
( votes)Highlight(s)
An Exercise in Stylistic Storytelling
Disputable