Tutta la conoscenza del mondo is a charming, goofy send-up of New Age icons and obsessions. Although set in Italy, this film transcends its cultural source and neatly skewers the New Age zeitgeist at its quasi-philosophical, global core. The writing and performances are deft, the central characters developed and engaging. We laugh, but at the same time experience a twinge of empathy: who has never been seduced (intellectually or sexually) by the promise of connection with the Other? Surreal special effects and carefully choreographed camera work keep this fast-paced comedy bouncing along as we become increasingly caught up in the protagonists' frenzied quests for enlightenment; through the philoso-babble of the university professor who simultaneously seduces and stupefies his pretty female students; into the world of the hapless rock band, created and utterly controlled by marketing strategists; past the New Age (yet somehow Pythonesque) guru who performs a miraculous `levitation of the arms' to the film's rather touching conclusion. Ultimately, Tutta la conoscenza del mondo leaves us with the satisfied sensation of having seen a `feel good' film which is at the same time pointed social satire. (Warning: followers of New Age ideology will not get this one at all.)
