AllMovie

If a sex comedy is going to work, it better have a sexy presence at its core, and that Two Nights with Cleopatra certainly does: the voluptuous, sensuous, delectable Sophia Loren, looking here as if she could devour the stoutest man in the wink of an eye. Cleopatra is darn lucky it has La Loren around, because without her the film would be a big fat zero, Even with her, Cleopatra is nothing to write home about and takes a sincere dedication to the star to stay with this silly trifle through its short 78-minute running time. The Ruggero Maccari-Ettore Scola screenplay is a terrible yawn, the kind of enterprise that seems to say "Okay, we've got a commoner/Queen twin set-up and we have sex, so let's forget about anything else and let the story take care of itself." It's sloppy and predictable, and though there are definitely laughs, there are not nearly enough of them. Leading male Alberto Sordi is also a problem, a relentless performer who quickly becomes grating. But fortunately there's Loren, who only has to flash those beauteous eyes to make one forget -- momentarily, at least -- the film that surrounds her.