This is a top-class comic story, and my favorite Roberto Benigni movie. The characters and situations work absolutely wonderfully, and I love the interaction and the plot twists in this story.

(Spoiler warning)

My favorite segment is the banana sequence (and no, it's not what you would expect with a banana sequence). The classic "double think" as the situation develops, the differing points of view of the various characters involved, and the way the whole sequence escalates is totally brilliant in its execution.

For any comedy fan, this one is a must-see!

The above summary was not meant as an insult in any way. It's because this was the most successful film in Italian movie history is why I mentioned that it's best appreciated by Italians. That is because while the film is fun and I did enjoy it, I just can't see this film being adored elsewhere--it just seems like a slightly better than average film--and not deserving to break box office records when compared to some other "greater" Italian films (such as THE CHILDREN ARE WATCHING US, UMBERTO D. among others). I guess this film really struck a chord with Italian audiences that just didn't happen elsewhere. Perhaps it was because the film makes fun of the mafia or perhaps they just adore Begnini.

Robert Begnini plays dual roles--one a nice bumbler names "Dante" and a dirty crook known as "Johnny Stecchino". When Stecchino's wife meets Dante by chance, she realizes he's the spitting image of her husband and tricks Dante into coming to Palermo. That's because in the capital of Sicily, Johnny is totally reviled by most everyone--either because he was a brutal mobster or because, to save his own skin, he betrayed the mob. As a result, the real Johnny has been in hiding 18 months--fearing for his pathetic life. The plan is to have Dante pose as Johnny--thereby being murdered in Johnny's place! Poor Dante doesn't know about this, but the film becomes awfully funny when through a series of mistakes, Dante thinks people are trying to kill him because he stole a banana! While a bit stupid, this joke is also pretty funny and I loved it when he was convinced that the grocer and his family had sworn a vendetta against him over a stupid banana! Because of this silly mix-up, the lovable loser in "Dante", the physical comedy of Begnini and the style of music employed throughout the film, the overall product was extremely reminiscent of an old Woody Allen film (back when he used to be funny in the late 60s and early 70s). Funny, entertaining and worth seeing, though I just can't see why this film was so strongly embraced by the Italians. Of course, I am sure the Italians feel the same way when it comes to many of the American films that the American public adores as well! To each his own.

By the way, I read that this film was rated R. I really can't see why, as PG-13 seems pretty reasonable (due to language, a few MINOR sexual scenes and a tiny image of a nude woman on a calendar). Most parents would probably not be overly concerned about letting a child 12 or up to see this film.

Roberto Benigni, who went to achieve international stardom with "Life Is Beautiful," plays two roles in this comedy. The story is about an innocent man who is dead ringer for a gangster-informant-in hiding. Benigni plays both roles.

It's a decent movie, a low-key comedy that has some funny moments but would have been much better had it been chopped down about 15 minutes. It tends to drag a bit during the second half. Benigni, as the "wimp," is a very charming guy and one that's easy to root for, but the rest of the characters in the film are just so-so. It's odd to ever see the usually high-strung Benigni as a lower-key person.

Surprisingly, this is an "R" rated comedy, and that's because of the language. I rented this once, but would see it again, especially since it''s now available on DVD.