Customer Reviews

Johnny Stecchino

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Johnny Stecchino is hilarious and educational. For example, I learned a new game, "the cabinet minister's wife." And to think that for so many years I played chess! Roberto Benigni is a singing school bus driver named Dante in this movie, who falls in love with a beautiful and sophisticated Maria. There is only one problem that Dante does not know of: Maria is married to a mafioso who is a spitting image of Dante, and she plans to switch the two men and to have Dante killed to get her husband out of trouble. Benigni also plays the mafia don. He is very good in both roles. The funniest parts of the movie take place in Palermo. The scene where Dante is trying to persuade the cardinal to take his "medicine" is just about as funny as anything I have ever seen. The scene in the opera is also hilarious.

Eventually, Maria has to make a moral choice. Buy it, and stay away from bananas in Palermo--don't even look at them.

This film is by far the funniest film I have ever seen. It could not be more entertaining. I could sit here and write about what happened in the film and try to explain why it was hilarious, but the truth is that it's something that simply needs to be experienced, you can't be told about it. All I can tell you, the movie watching public, to do is to see this movie in the original italian with subtitles. It is true that even if you don't understand italian, you need to hear Roberto's voice for it to work. Never get a dubbed copy of ANY of his films. The dubbing is always crap. He is the funniest man alive and this film showcases the best and the most purest version of his comedy of any of his work. It's over the top, yes, but it's splendid good fun and it'll put a smile on your face for hours after.

You've never seen this movie? C'mon, it's impossible. According to everyone, the best movie of Benigni, you will laugh for two hours and after the end for days. Bananas, mafia-men, politician and insurances. Benigni is impossible to stop. Sicily and its main problem... the traffic!

I can't recall if there is a more talented physical comedian than Roberto Begnini. He is gifted with comedic looks, the lean body, the child-like mannerism, and mostly, he has what it takes to make people laugh. The only person who, in my opinion, comes close and that is "Barney Fife"

The English subtitles are very easy to read and keep up with. Note: Don't ever see English voice dubbing of his movies. You have to HEAR his own voice!

The premise of the some of his movies is a case of misidentity and yes, although that humor is not new to comedy, Benigni brings that freshness to American audiences.

Begnini plays a dual role, Dante, a meek school bus driver and gangster Johnny Stecchino. His real-life wife, Nicoletta Braschi, joins her husband again. The meek and mild Dante is mistaken by townspeople for the gangster Johnny Stecchino. It isn't difficult to distinguish between the meek Begnini and the gangster Begnini. He clearly plays each role with precision.

The dialogue is well scripted and the plot is equally entertaining. The story moves on quickly and never is there a dull moment.

If your passion is for truly great comedy, enjoy this and the funnier Benigni movie, The Monster With that one, you will be guaranteed a night of laughter.. hilarious, nonstop laughter!!......MzRizz

Benigni is so extremely funny that uncontrollable laughter is a serious possibility, when watching his movies. Johnny Stecchino is also educational. For starters, I learned a new game, "the cabinet minister's wife." To think I spent so many hours learning and playing chess! Also, there were some good tips from Benigni: "the healthiest fruit is the one you don't have to pay for." And of course, I learned to be very, very careful with bananas, while on a visit to Palermo.

Almost every minute of the movie is funny. The scene where Benigni is trying to convince the cardinal to take "medicine" and the scene in the opera are the most hilarious things I have ever seen. Somehow, the movie also manages to deliver a moral message. And so the beautiful Maria (Santa Cleopatra!) who brings Dante to Palermo with a full intention to have him murdered redeems herself by making her difficult moral choice.

Dante is content to live in his quiet world of driving a school bus, living alone, and stealing bannanas until he is run over with a car by Maria. From the first she is fascinated with him, but little does he know that it's not for purely physical and emotional reasons. When she starts buying him Italian suits and calling him Johnny, he doesn't suspect a thing. When she invites him down to Sicily, where the worst problem, the plague of the city is.... traffic, things start to get hairy. This movie is excellent in both situational and physical comedy and the pieces fit together oh-so-well. Even though it is in another language, Benigni defies all barriers with his facial expressions and superb acting ability and double character. Clearly, this is a skilled actor/director/writer/gangster/bananna-thief.

When my wife (who is Italian) prodded me to watch some Italian movie with subtitles, I was less than enthusiastic. But let me tell you, this is one funny movie. As has been stated over and over, Benigni is a genius. From the most subtle facial expression or body language to the most outrageous reaction, he knows how to convey an entire scene to his audience without uttering a word. And let us not forget Nicoletta Braschi either. Her wonderful portrayal of the femme fatale is first rate. If you like to laugh, don't miss this film!

FANTASTIC MOVIE!! I laughed until I cried! If you loved Life Is Beautiful or enjoy clever entertaining foreign films you will LOVE this movie!!

When my friend rented this movie to watch this year, I totally did not want to watch it. I go to a boarding school, so I had quizes to study for, papers to write, delayed English books to catch up on. So I was reluctant...but it was a good thing I gave in, because I love this movie!

Today's comedies rely on slapstick humor that is neither intelliegent nor amusing. The flatulent anti-hero slips on a banana peel, the canned laughter sounds, and it's all over. But here Benigni's gift lay: his humor may be slapsticky and physical, but it's SMART. That's whatmakes it funny: the humorous bits are intricate and well-planned, which marks it as different in the world of cinema,

Benigni's movie is hilarious, fun, and extremely worthwhile. Just trust me- buy it, and you won't be sorry!

I was hesitant about seeing this after hearing about it for a couple of years. My main reason for not seeing it was that another Benigni film, Life is Beautiful, is my favorite film of all time, and I didn't want this to somehow ruin that one for me if this was terrible. Well, it's not terrible, in fact, it is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen, and the fact that some of the schtick is kind of cliched didn't matter, Benigni is a comic genius, and I highly anticpate his Pinocchio!