Johnny Stecchino Movie Review

Roberto Benigni has a huge following in Italy and America, but I missed the membership drive. Benigni plays both Dante the bus driver and Johnny the mafioso in this 100-minute comedy that's written and directed by himself. If you've seen two Maurice Chevaliers in Folies Bergere or two Don Ameches in That Night in Rio or two Danny Kayes in On the Riviera, two Roberto Benignis might seem like two too many. His charm escaped me, at any rate; I didn't laugh once. As Miss Jean Brodie says, “For those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like.” If you enjoy Benigni in this one, you may also want to see his work in The Monster and Life Is Beautiful.

1992 (R) 100m/C IT Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Paolo Bonacelli, Ignazio Pappalardo, Franco Volpi; D: Roberto Benigni; W: Roberto Benigni, Vincenzo Cerami; C: Giuseppe Lanci; M: Evan Lurie. VHS, LV