>Checco Vs. Cetto, The Battle of the Southern Italians

This week I’ve seen two movies about guys from southern Italy and it’s left me wondering what they are trying to say about the region. In Italian theaters and doing well are “Qualunquemente”, the story of Cetto, a sexist, racist narcissistic guy from Calabria and “Che Bella Giornata”, about politically incorrect Checco from Puglia.

The north and the south of Italy, like the north and the south in America, battle stereotypes, ideals, and beliefs and neither country has been above suggesting that they’d be better off apart.

I haven’t found a Cetto fan here in Rome but I’ve been talking to people my age and not enough of them to make any kind of consensus. And it’s not that he’s supposed to have actual “fans” – I get that. He’s not a role model, but he’s supposed to represent something that an American can’t completely understand. So as a kind of disclaimer I’ll say this: I’m not Italian and I give my impressions with the ignorance of an outsider, probably a bad idea but here I go.

In the attempt to lampoon Berlusconi, “Qualunquemente” has wounded southern Italy in the crossfire. I’ve always felt that Italians are really good at laughing at themselves and not easily offended, but I’d be surprised if they were’t offended by Cetto.

My daughter and I have a running discussion about humor and about what is funny. Neither of us are bothered too much by the politically incorrect and if something is funny we laugh – even if it’s at somebody’s expense. The only thing that we require is that it makes us laugh, and “Qualunquemente” did not pass the test. It’s not that I was so offended or so uncomfortable, it’s just that it was disgusting and I was not amused.

On the other hand, I laughed my ass off at “La Bella Giornata”. When Checco starts his job as a security guard for the Duomo in Milan he causes big problems for the church turning away Buddhist monks and Muslims for dressing too weird – he tells them they can come back when they get a proper jacket and tie. But Checco’s not a bad man – he just doesn’t know any better. And the bottom line – the jokes are funny.

I know that Italians read my blog but I don’t get much feedback from them. I would be so very grateful for some now – please explain Cetto to me. Tell me if I am wrong and why. I’m just dying to understand this.

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