broad slapstick and heartfelt drama

Rating: 7/10 (10 January 2015)

It's 1939 Italy. Jewish Guido (Roberto Benigni) tries to open a bookstore but he continues to face hurdles with a smile. He falls for the lovely Dora (Nicoletta Braschi). She is engaged to an ambitious government official but she runs off with Guido. They get married and have a son named Joshua. The fascists would catch up to them but Guido would pretend the camp to be a giant game so that he can hide the truth from his son.
Roberto Benigni is going for extremely broad comedy here which turns eventually. The movie is always a bit odd to have slapstick comedy while the audience knows perfectly well what is happening. It makes the movie unfunny. The movie is much more compelling as a heartfelt drama.