THE MONSTER Movie Review

Il Mostre

In The Monster, the Italian comic actor and director Roberto Benigni plays an ordinary, lovesick nebbish who's mistaken for a serial killer. Benigni finds endless possibilities for mistaken identity gags, double takes, pratfalls and slamming doors in this admittedly obvious farce, but while it's obvious, it's also hilarious. Benigni takes running gags further than you think he's going to, and his frenzied repetition, electric-socket hair and manic energy can wear down your defenses no matter how hard you resist. Watching a Benigni film is like being a guest on the TV show Make Me Laugh; you see where things are headed, you know what's coming, but when you try to keep from laughing—that's when you explode. Benigni's films have been massive hits in Italy, but he's yet to make a significant dent in the American box office. That's likely to change with the release of his 1998 Cannes Jury Prize winner Life is Beautiful, which had even stone-faced, diehard cinéastes on their feet applauding in the most prestigious movie theatre in the world. In the meantime, rent The Monster and invite a couple of friends over. And don't be surprised at who laughs first.

NEXT STOP … Johnny Stecchino, Night on Earth, Down by Law

1996 (R) 110m/C IT Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Michel Blanc, Dominque Lavanant, Jean-Claude Brialy, Ivano Marescotti, Laurent Spielvogel, Massimo Girotti, Franco Mescolini; D: Roberto Benigni; W: Roberto Benigni, Vincenzo Cerami; C: Carlo Di Palma; M: Evan Lurie. VHS COL