I'm afraid Elton John was right - this is utter rubbish

Rating: Null/10 (10 December 1999)

People, especially Oscar voters, tend to confuse "noble" subjects with good movie making and depth of thought. If Roberto Benigni had to do time in Dachau, he would have his terminal cuteness slapped out of him in very short order. Oliver & Hardy destroyed pompous people's property - this was funny. Beningni's character destroys his best friend's car and his beloved uncle's business - this is nasty and not cute, Roberto. Finally there's a backlash against Benigni in the Italian press. Grow up, Roberto, they say. I was horrified at his preposterous behaviour on American talk shows - people bought this cute schtick? This was an ambitious, calculating, cynical comedian groping for an Oscar on the coat tails of the Holocaust. There's no business like Shoah business. As for the film? Benigni would have been shot within 2 hours of arriving at a concentration camp. End of film.