**** out of ****

Rating: Null/10 (18 February 1999)

I must admit, I was a little uncertain about whether or not I wanted to see this film. I'd heard it was terrific, but I didn't know if I liked the idea of reading a movie. I had watched bits and pieces of foreign films on television, but I had never actually gone to see one in the theater. I'm glad I did. The subtitles were nowhere near as big a distraction as I feared; in fact, I completely forgot that they weren't speaking English approximately ten minutes into the film. I don't know if that is a testament to this particular movie, or if it's simply a matter of my overestimating the difficulty of watching one. Either way, no matter what language it was in, this was a terrific film.
Written by, directed by, and starring Robert Benigni, Life Is Beautiful tells the story of a man with an incredible sense of humor, and how he uses this humor to overcome the horrors of the Holocaust.
The first half of the movie is actually providing one of the longest introductions to a character that I have seen, showing backstory as to how the lead character, Guido, met his wife, and got her to fall in love with him through his humor. After this incredibly long, yet very funny setup, the movie flashes forward to the birthday of their young son, Joshua.
It so happens that this is the day he and his son are forced to go to a concentration camp. Using creativity and humor, Guido manages to convince his son that the entire thing (the concentration camp) is a game he arranged for his birthday, and this is the focus of the rest of the film; the challenge of convincing Joshua that the atrocities he sees around him are all in fun, and that everybody is having a great time. There are times when Joshua starts to doubt that it's a game, or just wants to quit, and go home, but Guido is always able to convince him otherwise.
The best scene in the movie involves Guido translating the rules of the concentration camp into the rules of the game for his son. It's absolutely hilarious. Which is something I never thought I'd say in a review for a movie dealing with the Holocaust.
Not only does Benigi manage to find humor in the topic, he is able to create memorable and interesting characters as supporting players in the action. Of particular note is the character of a concentration camp doctor who used to be Guido's friend, and had a penchant for riddles (which were actually pretty good).
All in all, this is a very surprising film. The same premise could have been made into a terrible movie, but Benigni didn't downplay the seriousness of the subject; he just shows it from a different point of view. Guido is an incredibly likeable character, and the efforts he goes to, in order to hide the truth from his son, are extraordinary to watch. Whatever doubts anyone may have about seeing this film, simply because it is foreign, put these doubts aside and see it. You'll be pleasantly surprised.