The Funniest Italian Comedies

Welcome to the South (Benvenuti al Sud)
      2010 | Italy | Laughs: 4.1 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.5
      wikipedia | who was involved?

The manager of an Italian post office gets transferred to the south of the country, which he and those around him picture to be a land of criminals and idiots. This is the Italian adaptation of the excellent Welcome to the Sticks. Many of the scenes are nearly identical, but the dialog at key moments has often been cut in half, making the movie about half as funny as the original. But it's still funny. It's also a treat to spend time in a beautiful Italian village without going through the hassle of getting on an airplane. (Last viewed: October 2012)

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Long Live Freedom (Viva la Liberta)
      2013 | Italy | Laughs: 4.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.0
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Under assault, the leader of a political party runs away to the home of an old friend in France. To avoid a scandal, the party substitutes him with his twin brother, whose madness makes him wildly popular. This is less the kind of comedy that makes you laugh out loud than the kind that makes you smile throughout. Four of us watched it and found it thoroughly enjoyable. (Last viewed: March 2016)

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Nothing Left to Do but Cry (Non ci resta che piangere)
      1984 | Italy | Laughs: 4.0 | imdb: 7.7
      wikipedia | who was involved?

On a rainy night, two friends somehow find themselves transported to the year 1492, where they struggle to adapt to the customs of the time. This extremely goofy movie made me smile, and might even had made me laugh if I'd known the dialects spoken by the protagonists.

(Last viewed: March 2021)

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The New Monsters (I Nuovi Mostri)
      1977 | Italy | Laughs: 4.0 (Watch Once) | imdb: 7.1
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Fourteen years after the original Monsters, this sequel (in color) introduces us to more characters who under ordinary appearances are—according to the film's thesis—monsters of some kind. While the quality of the segments varies, the better ones are memorable. With a strong crew of actors such as Vittorio Gassman and Ornella Muti (who provides more to the roles than mere eye candy), it would be a shame to miss this classic film, as I had thus far. (Last viewed: April 2013)

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I'm Starting from Three (Ricomincio da tre)
      1981 | Italy | Laughs: 3.5 (Chuckle) | imdb: 7.5
      wikipedia | who was involved?

A simple man from Naples moves up to Florence, where he becomes involved with a far more sophisticated woman who falls for his shyness and candor.

The movie made me smile, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it: some of its charm stems from the fact that the protagonist speaks Napolitan rather than Italian, a detail that may be lost on non-Italian speakers.

(Last viewed: March 2021)

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Return to the Present (Ritorno al presente)
      2021 | Italy | Laughs: 3.5 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 0.0
      who was involved?

After a horse-riding accident, a tyrannical magnate loses all recent memories up to a fateful party 25 years earlier and calls his now estranged friends to the rescue. Fun times past come back to life over a night of reminiscing, as well as the ghost of a bitter episode.

This was not a laugh-out-loud comedy by any means, but I enjoyed the two hours spent in the company of this group of friends, a comfortable recipe recently seen in Perfect Strangers but as old as (and probably older than) C'eravamo tanto amati.

(Last viewed: August 2021)

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Attila flagello di Dio
      1982 | Italy | Laughs: 3.5 (Chuckle) | imdb: 6.2
      wikipedia | who was involved?

After a Roman platoon burns its village to the ground, a group of barbarians embarks on a mission to destroy Rome.

This was a fun watch for several reasons that may not apply to all. First off, it is very dated, in particular in the way it portrays females. Second, when he speaks Italian the protagonist has a fake southern accent which I just love. Other than that, it's not great but silly and short enough to let itself be watched without much pain.

(Last viewed: September 2022)

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Where Do You Go on Holiday? (Dove Vai in Vacanza?)
      1978 | Italy | Laughs: 3.5 (Watch Once) | imdb: 6.4
      who was involved?

To me, watching this movie felt like being stuck in a huge pot of spaghetti. Although the mood is light, the acting pleasant and the situations often original, the action in several of the vignettes in this rather long film progresses at a crawling pace. To watch only if you are a lover of Italy, a fan of the actors involved or have a high tolerance for slow films. (Last viewed: June 2013)

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Febbre da Cavallo
      1976 | Italy | Laughs: 3.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.2
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Three hopeless gamblers devise endless scams to scare up the money they'll immediately lose at the races. The film is still entertaining—I smiled and chuckled, but there was nothing in there to provoke laughter. (Last viewed: July 2014)

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The Band of Honest Men (La Banda Degli Onesti)
      1956 | Italy | Laughs: 3.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.5
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Three scrupulously honest neighbors, all under great financial strain, somehow come to inherit an authentic plate to print banknotes and reluctantly become forgers. I was worried this old black-and-white movie would feel too long. Although it didn't make me laugh, it was cute and funny—I enjoyed it. (Last viewed: July 2014)

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Don Camillo's Last Round (Don Camillo e l'Onorevole Peppone or La Grande Bagarre)
      1955 | Italy | Laughs: 3.0 (Light-Hearted) | imdb: 7.2
      wikipedia | who was involved?

The village's priest tries to foil the communist mayor's bid to enter parliament. The story is not as strong as that of The Return of Don Camillo, but the funniest moments are funnier—not that the movie is really funny. This installment in the Don Camillo series continues the trend of making Don Camillo the stronger of the two opponents, whereas in the first movie they were equal. (Last viewed: September 2012)

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All My Friends Part 2 (Amici miei - Atto II°)
      1982 | Italy | Laughs: 2.5 (Chuckle) | imdb: 7.7
      wikipedia | who was involved?

I don't recall the original Amici Miei, but in this first of two sequels five old friends spend their time playing pranks on one another and anyone around. Some of it is quite funny, but so much of it is below the belt that the movie gets boring a good half-hour before the end. Too bad. (Last viewed: March 2019)

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The Tiger and the Snow (La Tigre e la Neve)
      2005 | Italy | Laughs: 2.5 | imdb: 7.1
      wikipedia | who was involved?

This movie truly sits somewhere on the border between comedy and tragedy. On the one hand you have Roberto Benigni playing his usual character, bringing abundant smiles. On the other hand you have war and a loved one at the edge of death. In my view this is a terrific movie—but save it for a day when you're in the mood for romantic comedy drama. (Last viewed: July 2014)

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The Little Devil (Il Piccolo Diavolo)
      1998 | Italy | Laughs: 2.4 (Just Awful) | imdb: 7.0
      wikipedia | who was involved?

Since discovering Roberto Benigni in Down By Law in 1986, seeking to relive that "first high", I've remembered him as funnier than he's been in any other movie I've seen him in. This one is no exception. Though it's not a roarer, it does have a few laughs and it's probably the best of the "other" Benigni movies I've seen. Two points in the film's favor are the presence of the one and only John Lurie (who also played in Down By Law) and the photography by Robby Müller, my favorite cinematographer (he shot Down By Law as well as Paris Texas, which also happened to feature John Lurie). To watch only if you're a cinephile with an interest in one of these names. (Last viewed: February 2012)

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Fantozzi (White Collar Blues)
      1975 | Italy | Laughs: 2.3 (Just Awful) | imdb: 7.9
      wikipedia | who was involved?

I had high expectations for this movie, as some people see it as one of the funniest Italian movies ever. Fantozzi is in fact a series of nine films. I picked the earliest, which also has the highest IMDB rating in the series (7.9). The film is mainly about office life (the main character Ugo Fantozzi is an accountant), much like Office Space and The Office. What could go wrong? Everything. I laughed once and spent the rest of nearly two hours wishing that the film would end. This poor guy just keeps getting hurt—hurt in ways that are just not funny in this day and age. (To draw laughs, lots of the old slapstick movies relied on characters getting knocked on the head.) Maybe the more recent films in the series are better, I haven't yet had a chance to try them. (Last viewed: October 2011)

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