Checco Zalone is hilarious, has forever changed the face of Italian comedy, and is laughing all the way to the bank, but he’s not the only one with a fresh new look at what’s funny.
La Mafia Uccide Solo D’Estate (2013)
Director: Pif (Pierfrancesco Diliberto)
Writers: Michele Astori, Pif
Stars: Cristiana Capotondi, Pif, Alex Bisconti
Pierfrancesco Diliberto did an expert job of taking a very serious theme and making a “laugh out loud” movie. I laughed the whole way through The Mafia Only Kills In The Summer, but I cried at the end. Pif’s first movie is a clever child’s eye view of what it was like for normal people living under the mafia’s thumb in 1980s and 90s Palermo. Diliberto directed, starred in, and cowrote this uniquely entertaining and sweet film.
Viva La Libertà (2013)
The secretary of the principal opposition party, Enrico Oliveri, is under heavy fire and can’t take it anymore, so he runs away and leaves his aides scrambling to explain his absence. When a twin brother is discovered, they see a solution…no, it’s not an Italian remake of Dave. It’s a hilarious story about trying to make sense of Italian politics.
Director: Roberto Andò
Writers: Roberto Andò (novel), Roberto Andò (screenplay)
Stars: Toni Servillo, Valerio Mastandrea, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Smetto Quando Voglio (2014)
A university researcher and his other under-employed but highly educated buddies form an unlikely drug cartel and design a designer drug that flies, for a while, under the Italian food and drug administration’s radar.
Director: Sydney Sibilia
Writers: Valerio Attanasio Valerio Attanasio
Stars: Edoardo Leo, Valeria Solarino, Valerio Aprea
Kryptonite Nella Borsa (2011)
Set in Napoli in the ’70s, it’s a kind of Italian “Wonder Years” for little Peppino, just a little less warm and fuzzy. His Dad is cheating on his Mom, his Mom has taken to her bed with depression, his uncle and aunt are babysittlng by getting him high at hippie parties, and his older cousin dies. Oh, and all the kids at school hate him. What a little guy like Peppino needs in a situation like this is a Super Hero.
Director: Ivan Cotroneo
Writers: Ivan Cotroneo, Monica Rametta
Stars: Valeria Golino, Cristiana Capotondi, Luca Zingaretti
Benvenuti Al Sud (2010)
Alberto and his family (his wife, Silvia played by Angela Finocchiaro) lives in a small town not far from Milano and dreams of moving to the big city but when Alberto applies for a transfer he learns that handicapped people are being shown preference. Alberto fails in his wacky, not very believable attempt to make superiors believe he’s needs a wheelchair to get around and his punishment is 2 years in the south.
Director: Luca Miniero
Writers: Massimo Gaudioso, Dany Boon
Stars: Claudio Bisio, Alessandro Siani, Angela Finocchiaro
Amiche Da Morire (2013)
For Gilda (Claudia Gerini), Olivia (Cristiana Capotondi) , and Crocetta (Sabrina Impacciatore), a single, sudden, impulsive act gives them unforseen choices and a bond that confuses their friends, families, and the local police department. Though their friendship is a product of pragmatism and a big secret that they’ve agreed to keep between the three of them and it’s in their best interest to get along, it’s not that easy for a prostitute, a naive housewife, and an old maid to see eye to eye on every little thing.
Director: Giorgia Farina
Writers: Fabio Bonifacci, Giorgia Farina
Stars: Claudia Gerini, Cristiana Capotondi, Sabrina Impacciatore
I Love Italian Everything 