Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo) has been a permanent fixture in Rome's literary and social circles since the legendary success of his one and only novel. Armed with a roguish charm, he has seduced his way through the city's lavish night life for decades, but when his 65th birthday coincides with a shock from the past, Jep finds himself unexpectedly taking stock of his life, turning his cutting wit on himself and his contemporaries, and looking past the extravagant nightclubs, parties and cafés to find Rome in all its glory: A timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.

Director Paolo Sorrentino is known for This Must Be the Place, The Consequences of Love (also starring Servillo), Il Divo, The Family Friend and One Man Up. The Great Beauty is on the Oscar short list for the award for Best Foreign Language Film.