great expectations

Rating: Null/10 (23 March 1999)

I watched this movie a few weeks ago before the Oscars. I heard all the hype about it and I've seen Roberto Benigni on various talk shows here in the US so I knew him to be as energetic and verbose as they come. So naturally I walked into the theater expecting to laugh my socks off!
What I got instead was maybe only two or three roaringly funny moments while the rest of the humor fell short (like many of Whoopie Goldberg's many failed attempts at humor at the Oscars). However, it is not primarily the humor that makes this movie great...it's the message and the heart.
This is the kind of movie that makes you wonder whether or not you should be laughing at any of the jokes because it's set in a brutal Nazi concentration camp. You spend the first few moments writhing uncomfortably in the theater as Benigni whips out joke after joke once they reach the camp. Then you can't help but suddenly burst out laughing at his mock translation of the German soldier. (the funniest moment in the film!)
It's a scene that lifts the tension and makes the viewer realize that the whole point of the movie is not to make light of the situation, but to try and mask the situation through humor. The movie is so touching when you realize that all his efforts, all his energy, and all his thoughts went into protecting his son. Through the days of hard labour, he always comes back to his son wildly happy and full of anticipation that they will someday win their "prize".
While I somewhat doubt that his son, who seemed very intelligent at the beginning of the movie, would fall for the charade for so long, I think the premise of the movie is very touching and effective. "Life is Beautiful" is an appropriately named because it illustrates to everyone that life can be beautiful no matter what the situation or the backdrop. Horrifying moments and situations can take away certain aspects of life, but it can never take away from the human spirit. This is one of the many points to this film and while I did not laugh as much as I thought I would, I walked away from the movie theater with a smile on my face and a joyous outlook on life.
Congratulations to Roberto Benigni to making such a fine film. I felt it deserved every award it has garnered and I even dare say it should have won for Best Picture. I enjoyed it far more than Private Ryan, Thin Red Line, or Shakespeare in Love.