Luca Miniero
Benvenuti Al Nord

A film that has no reason to exist, predictable in every scene, banal, clichéd, and excessively trite. There are no saving graces for Benvenuti al Nord, the sequel to the successful Benvenuti al Sud (a remake of the French Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis). The latest film by Luca Miniero – who also directed the previous installment – is one of those many cases of a useless sequel.

To understand the failure of Benvenuti al Nord, it is necessary to take a small step back and return "to the South" to analyze the aspects that made Benvenuti al Sud a success, both from a cinematic perspective – although it is the "usual" Italian comedy – and from the box office viewpoint.
First of all, Benvenuti al Sud presents a fairly original screenplay, even though it is a remake of a French film released in 2008 (that is, two years earlier). It is original because Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis was not successful in Italy, but it was in France, as it resumed and mocked typically French stereotypes. The basic idea, however, was good and was successfully adapted also in Italy, where in this case the stereotypes to be mocked and debunked concerned the southern region. The comic elements are plentiful, the jokes are appreciable, and the gags are enjoyable and well-crafted, especially since the cast includes good actors, such as the Bisio-Finocchiaro duo that always delivers great results, a rising Alessandro Siani in terms of acting, and the very talented Valentina Lodovini. And then there are the very successful "caricatures", primarily Mr. Scapece (Salvatore Misticone), Nunzia Schiano (also and especially a theater actress), who plays Mattia's mother, Nando Paone, and Giacomo Rizzo in the roles of Costabile piccolo and Costabile grande. In short, both for the screenplay and the acting, Benvenuti al Sud proves to be an excellent comedy, entertaining and thought-provoking, light, smooth, humorous, and committed.
Which is the exact opposite of what Benvenuti al Nord was. No offense to the actors, their performances are always good, but if this film were a broom, the problem would be in the handle, that is, the screenplay (as Morandini once said about another sequel, Amici Miei atto III). The plot is predictable, fragmentary, and chaotic.

For those who have not seen the film, do not worry; there is no risk of spoilers in the review, you can very well imagine the finale on your own. Just as the entire film is easily predictable, from the first to the last scene. In short, we have a cauldron into which all the clichés of cinema have been thrown, regarding the film's structure, and all the clichés of life, concerning the plot itself: marital crisis and the different reactions of men to it (Alberto “Bisio” Colombo trying to recapture a second youth, Mattia “Siani” Volpe accused by his wife of being irresponsible and immature), the difficulties of a southern man grappling with northern habits, unsociable work colleagues, and so on. Until, predictably, these situations banalize into a general happy ending.

More than a film, it seems like watching a poorly executed second episode of a television show, also because the actors are always the same, there are always Alberto and Mattia, Maria and Silvia, the two Costabile, Mattia's mother and the inevitable Mr. Scapece. The only additions are the trivial presence of the wicked mother-in-law, Silvia's mother, Erminia (played by Finocchiaro herself) and the missed opportunity that is Paolo Rossi, in the role of the post office's mega-director general in "Marchionne style". Indeed, because even political satire is not missing, although it is poorly executed and ends predictably. Paolo Rossi represents a missed opportunity because Miniero has at hand a theatrical actor and comedian with refined intelligence and indisputable skill, yet he is confined to a poorly constructed character that is too peripheral to the plot.
Too much thought was given to hastily constructing a product to throw into cinemas to garner box office returns (which will undoubtedly come, rest assured), but it glaringly lacks in quality and will soon fall into the drawer of oblivion, or at least one hopes so, if only not to tarnish the skill of those who took part in it. Benvenuti al Nord adds nothing to the well-conceived story of Benvenuti al Sud, and its presence makes no difference, but if it weren’t there, it would have been much better!