COMEDY- The five funniest films from Italy

Nervous mafia godfathers, Italian office stallions and the everyday problems of the little man. Here are our current TOP 5 of really funny comedy films from and about Italy. Perfect for a few evenings on the couch.

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5th place: "Malavita - The Family

• THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT. A Mafia family in the FBI's witness protection programme in the French province: Whether the corner shop salesman is too arrogant or the village plumber too slow, everyday problems are solved à la Mafia. It is understandable that the apple does not fall far from the tree and that the children at school are just as criminal.

• FILE FACTS. Original title: "The Family", released in 2013. Starring: Robert de Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones. Director: Luc Besson

• CRITICISM. A funny film about Italy, rather a supposedly typical mafia family for a relaxed evening on the couch. In between there are also a few lengths, but then you can go to the toilet, nibble a bite or have a drink.

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4th place: "Welcome to the South

• THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT. A relatively homely postal worker from the north tries by all means to be transferred to Milan for career reasons. It goes wrong. As a result, he is transferred to the south as punishment - his personal nightmare begins. Mafia, funny dialect, strange food and far too much espresso.

• FILM FACTS. This is a remake of the French film "Welcome to the Sticks", which closely follows the original. Original title: "Benvenuti al Sud", released in 2010. Starring: Claudio Bisio, Angela Finocchiaro, Alessandro Siani. Directed by Luca Miniero.

• CRITICISM. Hilarious - if you haven't seen the "ch'tis"/"sticks". "Welcome to the South is the Italian version of the original French film. If you've seen the latter, it all looks familiar. If not: prejudices are best when you can laugh them off at the end. 

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3rd place: "Tolo Tolo - The Great Journey"

• THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT. Checco opens a super fancy sushi restaurant in his village in the province. A month later he is broke and in deep debt everywhere. He goes into hiding in Africa and works in a holiday club. When the local civil war breaks out, Checco wants to flee across the Mediterranean with his African friends.

• FILM FACTS. Original title: "Tolo Tolo", released in 2020. Starring: Checco Zalone , Manda Touré , Nassor Said Birya . Directed by Checco Zalone.

• CRITICISM. Very cynical film from Italy with a lot of potential for reflection. Very much worth seeing!

2nd place: Funny films from Italy

- "Quo vado? - The Full Post"

• THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT.  Checco lives the Italian provincial dream. He has a permanent job as a civil servant in the provincial office for hunting and fishing. He still lives with his mother and keeps his fiancée on tenterhooks. Then comes the shocker: an administrative reform. Checco is to resign voluntarily or be transferred. Checco holds on to his permanent position, his full post. An odyssey begins.

• FILM FACTS. Original title: "Quo vado?", released in 2016. The most successful Italian film of all time. Starring: Checco Zalone, Eleonora Giovanardi, Sonia Bergamasco. Directed by Gennaro Nunziante.

• CRITICISM. Mega funny with lots of insights into Italian lifestyles and values. Let's face it: what's wrong with a permanent job for life - it's worth its weight in gold! If you haven't seen the film yet, you should definitely check it out: really, really funny.

1st place: Funny films about Italy

"Analyse this" - "Pure nerve"

• THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT.  Pure Nervousness is a quirky mafia comedy. Robert de Niro plays the nervously troubled mafia godfather Paul Vitti grandiosely. He suffers from panic attacks and seeks help from humanist therapist Ben Sobol (sensationally played by Billy Crystal). P.S. There is also a MEGA second part (title: "Analyse that").

• FILM FACTS. Original title: "Analyse this", released in 1999. Starring: Robert de Niro, Billy Crystal. Directed by Harald Ramis.

• CRITICISM. Absolute favourite film!!! Seen 50 times already, but still SUPER FUNNY. Funny beyond compare. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you HAVE to see it. Absolutely worth it.

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written by Annie Kayser, first published 11.12.21

Cover photo/montage: Antonio Diaz /Getty Images (couple photo)

Source: Long nights on the couch