Touching but a little over the top

Rating: 7/10 (27 February 2015)

I have seen quite a few touching foreign films before and this one falls just a little short, not because of the storyline, (which I do agree with some reviewers that it is slightly unrealistic, but hey, that's what a movie is for, a bit of escapism), but because the acting for Roberto Benigni is so over the top that it takes you out of the movie in some scenes. Worse is the main actress, whose acting is so wooden it is painful to watch sometimes. There seems very little differentiation between sadness and happiness on her face. I think the best actor in there is their son, the little boy, he is a total natural. For me at least, he steals the show in every scene.
The script is well written and there are a lot of double-take wit and sarcasm in there and some laugh out loud scenes. It is a good movie to watch when you are in the mood for something warm and slow, and not action style, on a cold winter's night, relaxing on the couch.