Pssst. Guess what? It's not supposed to be realistic!

Rating: Null/10 (11 December 1999)

I'm surprised no one else has pointed out how "Life is Beautiful" compares to "Titanic." (Okay, I haven't read all the reviews, but...) In both cases we have the proper woman who is supposed to marry the very proper man. Instead she falls for a vagabond; someone who is far from "proper" but someone who definitely knows how to enjoy life. And in both cases the story is told against the backdrop of disaster.
"Life is Beautiful," however, is a fantasy. No, it could never really have happened. Yes, the Holocaust was far more horrible than this movie shows. But guess what? It's not supposed to be realistic! We already know how horrible the Holocaust was. That is not what this movie is about.
Instead, this movie is about a father's love for his son, and how that father will do anything under any circumstance to protect that son.
So Roberto Benigni, I say "Bravisimo!"