Maybe the funniest film I've ever seen in my life. This one tops them all -- "Kentucky Fried Movie," "Ishtar," "The Tall Guy" -- you name it. Benigni proves, once again, why he is a comedic genius with this tale of mistaken identity. He plays a bumbling con artist who manages to weasel his way through life without paying for *anything.* After a mishap involving a nymphomaniac and a chainsaw, the cops mistake him for a serial murderer/rapist. As in "Johnny Stecchino," Benigni's gags are wildly inventive. The humor here is some of the raunchiest in memory, though interestingly, it never once becomes offensive. I laughed so hard at this movie that I actually found it impossible to watch the entire film in one sitting -- two back-to-back sequences alone should immortalize the comedian, one involving a grocery store theft and another involving a security film of Benigni dropping a cigarette butt down his pants. You'll laugh so hard, you won't be able to breathe. Unforgettable.
Monstrously Funny
Roberto Benigni is irrepressibly hilarious in this movie. I can honestly say that for me there is never a dull moment in the movie, and I have seen it at least five times. An adventerous, cretive crook Loris, played by Benigni, is suspected of being a serial rapist and murderer. The police is closing in on him, using a soulful police detective, Jessica, played by Benigni's real-life wife, Nicoletta Braschi. But Jessica turns out to be a savior for Loris rather than a bait. She falls in love with his sense of humor, imagination, and kindness. In the meantime, the supposed pillars of society--the chief of police, the professor of criminal psychiatry, and the foreign language professor--turn out to be extemely flawed human beings. However, you won't leave this movie hating any of its characters. Probably not even the Chinese professor who, rationally speaking, deserves hatred from a decent human being. The magic of Benigni ensures that you have fun and a chance to reflect, but you never leave his movie with a bad taste in your mouth.
The comic scences in this movie, from beginning to end, are first rate. I have seen movies produced in all kinds of countries--and this one is one of the funniest. If you have not seen it yet, do not miss out any longer and get a copy. And believe me, it is worth seeing more than once.
European style funny
I think people who experienced living in Europe may find this movie much funnier than those who did not. It should be of no surprise that this is probably the highest grossing movie in Italy whereas in the US it received sub-par reviews.
Italy's rubber-faced funnyman Roberto Benigni accomplishes the impossible in his World War II comedy Life Is Beautiful: he shapes a simultaneously hilarious and haunting comedy out of the tragedy of the Holocaust. An international sensation and the most successful foreign language film in U.S. history, the picture also earned director-cowriter-star Benigni Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor. He plays the Jewish country boy Guido, a madcap romantic in Mussolini's Italy who wins the heart of his sweetheart (Benigni's real-life sweetie, Nicoletta Braschi) and raises a darling son (the adorable Giorgio Cantarini) in the shadow of fascism. When the Nazis ship the men off to a concentration camp in the waning days of the war, Guido is determined to shelter his... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Nicoletta Braschi DVD Release Date: Released the 09 November 1999 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Nearly abandoned by its distributor and savaged by critics, Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio is an object lesson in the hazards of success. Bolstered by his Oscar®-winning triumph Life Is Beautiful, the popular Italian actor-director-comedian was given carte blanche and chose Carlo Collodi's classic 1885 fairy tale as his next lavish project. This sumptuous production literally glows with traditional Italian craftsmanship, from delightful costumes and storybook sets by the late, great production designer Danilo Donati (whose last film this was) to the radiant palette of Dante Spinotti's masterful cinematography. This is one of the most beautiful of all Italian films, which only makes its shortcomings more conspicuous. At 50, Benigni is utterly wrong as the puppet... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Roberto Benigni - Nicoletta Braschi - Carlo Giuffrè Director(s): Roberto Benigni DVD Release Date: Released the 15 July 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Italian star and filmmaker Massimo Troisi was dying of heart failure even before this film, his dream project, began production, and he prevailed upon British director Michael Radford (White Mischief) to see him and the film through to the end. (The 40-year-old Troisi, a beloved comic actor in Italy, died the day production wrapped.) Based on true events, Troisi plays a shy postman who strikes up an unlikely friendship with exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (Philippe Noiret). Through Neruda's example and tutelage, the hero learns to think of his Italian fishing village in lyrical terms, as well as how to talk to women and even find the strength to take his political stands. Sweet as it is, the film finally pushes beyond its charming borders to become an even more complex and... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Massimo Troisi Director(s): Michael Radford DVD Release Date: Released the 14 March 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
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