True that, "La Grande Bellezza" was awful, yet it managed to win an oscar for what is worth.
The only thing that kept me wondering thru the film is - where do those people get that kind of money to make their life style possible? Now, if he made a film explaining THAT, I would be first to watch. Otherwise, characters are ageing impostors, but first of all boring.
It make a clear picture of the decay of Rome, it make you see what people thing, what are their values, why the behave the way the do... Everything is completely clear.