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Talking about a Massimo Troisi film is difficult if you're from the north, as his dialect might not be so understandable. I’ll try, being Neapolitan myself.
I start with a plea: let's not forget him. Massimo gave a lot to Italian cinema. Sure, technically his films aren't extraordinary and are only supported by his humor, by his expression. But no one can forget a film like this, once seen.
The story: Gaetano is a young Neapolitan who, tired of his job, seeks fortune in Florence. However, he never admits it, as he responds to anyone who asks if he's an emigrant with: "No, so vvenuto pe' viaggià, pe' ccunoscere". His journey to Florence is truly amusing with the encounter of the potential suicide, played by Michele Mirabella. Gaetano takes the "unbalanced" man to a clinic where he meets Marta who works there. In Florence, Gaetano is hosted by his aunt (with whom he has a memorable conversation in a bar). After discovering his aunt has a lover, Gaetano goes to live with Frank, a kind of Jehovah's Witness. His relationship with Marta continues. Frank's experiment of bringing Gaetano to "spread the word" is hilarious. Gaetano will traumatize the already "not very stable" Robertino. "Robbè iesc, tuocch 'e ffemmene, va arrubbà... Mammina te manda a 'o manicomio..." "Ma mamma dice che io ho i complessi..." "Foss 'o Ddio... tu tieni n'orchestra intera 'ncapo!"
Gaetano and Marta fall in love and live together at her place. Their story goes smoothly until Marta tells him she is pregnant. "But it might not be yours..." That's when things get serious: "Perchè pe' 'e ffemmene è facile... Nuie ammo semp sentuto 'stu fatto 'e ll'onore... 'e ccorne e cose accussì...". The situation remains unresolved, leaving us unsure if Gaetano would truly accept the child as his own...
The final line is unforgettable...
"O criaturo 'o chiammammo Ugo..."
"Come tuo padre?"
"Sì, ma mica pe' mmio padre, che me 'mporta a me?... Sulo pe nun 'o fa venì scustumato..."
"Perchè, Massimiliano?"
"Massimiliano vene scustumato... If the child wants to move, what does the mother call him if he’s already moved away... But Ugo doesn’t have the time to take a step... At most we call him Ciro... So he doesn't end up so oppressed..."
Thus ends a film not excellent but definitely worth watching. Just to know that Naples is not what you see on TV.
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Other reviews
By MartinVenator
I have never counted myself among the admirers and supporters of the character and comedy of the late Massimo Troisi.
This film, at times amusing but too banally dull, unfortunately proves me right.
By Relator
A classic, after all, speaks to the world by striking the same chords which, through the passage of time, may be perceived differently.
Gaetano is a 'prophet' who shows us all the sins and virtues of the modern world far ahead of his time.
