So much average

From my favorite movies..

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Very flawed and yet fantastic fable, remarkably touching performances, especially by Benigni and Reno. I think those who have panned it missed the point - Benigni is not the greatest poet nor person; it is because he is flawed that we identify and are so moved. I particularly enjoyed the song by Tom Waits and its performance and use in the film. I did not mind the lack of political opining at all; I doubt the film was intended to further any particular political point of view. It was, however, philosophical, beautiful, romantic, and uplifting. Not quite up to the level of Life is Beautiful, but a wonderful cinematic experience in its own right.

While I loved Roberto Begnini in LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL and JOHNNY STECCHINO, I really had a hard time enjoying this film--though fortunately it got better as the film progressed. My biggest problem with it is that I felt that Begnini's character was really creepy. While the film is supposed to be a comedy of sorts, it wasn't all that funny and he came off as a very needy stalker. Last I checked, being a stalker was anathema to good comedy! It seems that every night Begnini dreams about marrying a lady and when he finally sees this woman (Nicoletta Braschi) in real life, he stalks her! In real life, such a guy would have a restraining order out against him or end up killing his "lady love" in some sort of psychotic murder-suicide spree! Others may have laughed at his "cute" advances towards this poor woman--I just felt uneasy.Later, this lady travels to Iraq just as the war is beginning which begs the question "is she 100% insane?!". And, shortly after arriving, she naturally is severely injured and is dying. When Begnini finds out, he drops everything in Rome and travels against all odds to Baghdad to do everything he can to save her. This portion of the film is actually pretty sweet, as he works so hard to keep her alive--it's quite touching,...though once again, I had to remind myself that he IS a stalker and traveled a couple thousand miles into a war zone because of his bizarre obsession.Strengths of the film were Begnini's performance (though at times, it did come off as essentially the same guy he was in LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL) and the latter half of the film (while not great--it was light-years ahead of the first half). Deficits were choppy editing and storytelling, occasionally confusing writing, an uncomfortable juxtaposition of comedy with tragedy and stalking as well as Jean Reno's inexplicable character--his motivations and everything about him seemed ill-defined and confusing. The bottom line is that despite being a very talented man, this is a huge letdown for Begnini and isn't an especially good film. Watchable but quite flawed.FYI--Nicoletta Braschi is Begnini's real-life wife and they have starred in quite a few films together.

This was a major disappointment, especially after the profound "La Vita e' Bella". Have been a great fan of Benigni for years since "Down By Law". Interestingly, the "usual suspects" are rounded up again as the same Tom Waits from that flick of twenty years ago is recruited to appear in this one in the part of a musician in a marriage. The sets are simplistic and theatrical. The characters overloaded with mannerisms that better work in theater than on the silver screen. The plot is overly centered on Benigni, as if the entire movie is only about him. There are many mini-plots that are basically recycled comedy-circuit gags (something Benigni has done plenty in Pinocchio). I am somewhat surprised that seasoned producers decided to finance this motion picture. It seems that analysts did not do a good job in measuring what audience it would address, which ends up only being Benigni fans residing in Italy. The end result is hardly an export cash cow, as La Vita E' Bella turned out to be. To gain some traction in the export market, a motion picture should have some depth in character development, which this motion picture completely lacks. A point of interest, however, is the portrayal of American soldiers and Iraqi prisoners in post-war Iraq. This could be the first fictional motion picture with such a portrait. The very young Marines are seen in a sympathetic light.

The protagonist in this film is excellent: not only is he a poet who looks at life unflinchingly, loves it, describes it beautifully and suffers in it, he is also a a doer who manipulates the situations: trying his hardest to make things go his way, and last, but not least, a lover, who reminds one so of that old quote from Desiderata: "Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity & disenchantment, it is perennial as the grass.." I was amazed at the beauty in the film, the small touches of magic and the huge brush strokes of Iraqi landscape which contrasted with the civilized Italian urban scenes. A truly well-executed movie, tender and intelligent, well worth the reading of the subtitles.