Some of Us Are Missing the Point....

Rating: 9/10 (6 March 1999)

I loved this film! It made me laugh, the ending shocked me a bit, and it made me think. I gave it a TEN.
Some of the other users that have left negative comments seem to be missing the point. Roberto Benigni loves Charlie Chaplin, and knows everything about him. You'd be a fool to go into this movie thinking that you're not going to see things like eggs dropping on heads, people crashing into each other, clothing being ripped, Guido falling over a chair, etc. It's a little sappy, a touch of cheesy, but that's the way he wants it.
As for the comments like, "How could a smart young boy believe this game?": it's a movie. A story. You all suspend your disbelief and watch the BS that happens in action and horror movies, so, why not give a sweet story like this a chance?
You're right to say that children and other folks should read in books about the actual horrors of the Holocaust. This movie is not supposed to be an "educational film". Your kids go to school for that. You go into it knowing that it's a "tragicomedy". If you send your kids to a movie nowadays in order to really teach them something, you've got problems.
Overall, I'm sorry that so many have become movie cynics. There aren't many fresh movies out there anymore- too many remakes and movie versions of TV shows. "La Vita e Bella" is a true original and deserves our (the U.S.) attention!