The film had some very funny moments, those which used the same formula as some of the funniest moments in "La Vita E Bella" -- the set up is an innocuous event that pays off later. For example, Benigni's landlord is showing his apartment to potential buyers. As he walks from room to room, he trips over the base of the doorway. We forget about this until much later in the film when Benigni, chopping steak with a butcher's knife, trips over the doorway and flies at a guest, looking like a mad maniac.
The other formula is the running gag. In one case, Benigni is sneaking out of his apartment building to avoid encountering the manager. To do so, he squats down and sneaks by the manager's window. Another tenant leaving sees him doing this. To avoid rousing the man's suspicion, Benigni continues to walk while squatting after he has left the building. Again and again throughout the film, whenever he squats down, the same man appears and says hello.
But the movie suffers from the critical problem of a very weak story. The protagonist of the story really should be the policewoman, but instead, it's Benigni's character. They are supposed to be falling in love, but there is very little chemistry between them. And Braschi is not a good actor, so any scene which relies on her is rather painful. Also, the editing is extremely poor. The movie drags and drags; it's almost two hours long but could have been less than an hour and a half. A scene where Benigni explains to a friend how the (police)woman prances around his apartment naked, shoving herself upon him, is hilarious. Then we proceed to see everything he has just described; but his original telling has stolen the impact from the reality.
As long as you realize what you're getting into, this movie can be very enjoyable. From the reviews I'd read, however, I was led to believe that the film was fantastic. It's funny, but it's far from perfect.
The other formula is the running gag. In one case, Benigni is sneaking out of his apartment building to avoid encountering the manager. To do so, he squats down and sneaks by the manager's window. Another tenant leaving sees him doing this. To avoid rousing the man's suspicion, Benigni continues to walk while squatting after he has left the building. Again and again throughout the film, whenever he squats down, the same man appears and says hello.
But the movie suffers from the critical problem of a very weak story. The protagonist of the story really should be the policewoman, but instead, it's Benigni's character. They are supposed to be falling in love, but there is very little chemistry between them. And Braschi is not a good actor, so any scene which relies on her is rather painful. Also, the editing is extremely poor. The movie drags and drags; it's almost two hours long but could have been less than an hour and a half. A scene where Benigni explains to a friend how the (police)woman prances around his apartment naked, shoving herself upon him, is hilarious. Then we proceed to see everything he has just described; but his original telling has stolen the impact from the reality.
As long as you realize what you're getting into, this movie can be very enjoyable. From the reviews I'd read, however, I was led to believe that the film was fantastic. It's funny, but it's far from perfect.