Outstanding

Rating: 10/10 (15 January 2000)

Life Is Beautiful is the rarest of films, literally making you laugh one minute and cry the next. Having said that, this is not a "downer" of a movie, but inspiring like no movie ever made. Don't be afraid to see it because it is a foreign film and involves the Holocaust; you'll be missing an experience that will stay with you forever.
I have the DVD version and watched it three times in 24 hours. I am NOT particularly sentimental I don't get choked up easily but this film drew me in and still hasn't let go.
The folks who trash this movie because it dares to place humor and the Holocaust in the same picture have allowed their bitterness and grief to block their understanding of the message of Life Is Beautiful, and I pity them for what they have lost and have missed.
The movie is not perfect. The first half involves the courtship of the main characters and drags a bit at times. Sometimes the humor is a little too broad for American tastes. It does set up the second half very well though, and the second half is as good as film-making gets. I would agree with other posters that while the two halves are extremely different, the constant is the attitude and love for his family of Roberto Benigni's character.
You will find yourself replaying every scene in your mind for a long time. Go rent it, buy it, whatever - just see it.