Generally, when a comedy relies on ethnic flavour it means the story doesn't have enough going for it to do well on its own. This is the case with Kusturica's gypsy movie(s), this is the case with many Italian, French, Georgian (etc...) comedies. La moglie in bianco is that kind of a movie. Lino Banfi is in overdrive here with screaming and gesticulating. This is my first Michele Massimo Tarantini movie. If you saw Sergio Martino's work with Banfi and liked it, chances are you won't like MMT's movie as much. BUT. The main lady Pamela Prati is irresistible and all around gorgeous especially without her clothes, which she is most of the movie. Yes, La moglie IS funny, in theory, although it wants to secure the laughs by laughing in your ear and trying to choke you for good measure.
3 Reviews
Not for the fey of heart
Chip_douglas13 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Pamela Prati makes her big screen debut in this completely politically incorrect comedy which stars Lino Banfi, louder and crasser than ever before in dual roles as father and son Patanè. Peppino, the younger of the two is a rich two-timing dentist with gambling debts and Calogero, the elder his wheelchair bound, cane wielding old man.
When Peppino's son Gianluca returns home after traveling abroad wearing a pink suit, the entire Napoli neighborhood begins accusing him of being gay. Shortly, grandpa finds a stack of bodybuilding magazines hidden in the boy's bed, and immediately suffers a serious stroke. His last will and testament favors his son Peppino over his daughter Linda because she already received a hefty loan from him to start her own hotel. However, there is a clause stating that Gianluca has to be married and produce an heir within a year, or Peppino can kiss the inheritance goodbye.
So Don Peppino immediately pulls together every resource available to find a woman for Gianluca, who insists that the only reason he collects those beefcake magazines is because he aspires to be a bodybuilder himself. His father arranges a meeting between his boy and his own mistress Annamaria (Susan Scott) and ask the local priest to pick out a nice girl to pose as his new dental assistant. Enter Pamela Prati as Sonia, who first appears as a mousy girl in true comedy cliché style but soon exposes her true talents and has Gianluca fall for her. Of course their wedding day is just the beginning of more trouble as Linda Patanè is still intend on inheriting everything for herself and people start double crossing each other in the suites of Linda's hotel to no avail.
Certainly not to be taken seriously, the homophobic view of most of the major characters in this film would never play with today's sensitive audience, but back in 1980 people had never heard of the term politically incorrect and Gianluca eventually gets the last laugh anyway. Probably the only redeeming feature this film has is the sight of a young and nubile Pamela P. who manages to hold up her own during the hectic and noisy goings on even though she doesn't appear in the film until half way through. Good for her.
6 out of 10
When Peppino's son Gianluca returns home after traveling abroad wearing a pink suit, the entire Napoli neighborhood begins accusing him of being gay. Shortly, grandpa finds a stack of bodybuilding magazines hidden in the boy's bed, and immediately suffers a serious stroke. His last will and testament favors his son Peppino over his daughter Linda because she already received a hefty loan from him to start her own hotel. However, there is a clause stating that Gianluca has to be married and produce an heir within a year, or Peppino can kiss the inheritance goodbye.
So Don Peppino immediately pulls together every resource available to find a woman for Gianluca, who insists that the only reason he collects those beefcake magazines is because he aspires to be a bodybuilder himself. His father arranges a meeting between his boy and his own mistress Annamaria (Susan Scott) and ask the local priest to pick out a nice girl to pose as his new dental assistant. Enter Pamela Prati as Sonia, who first appears as a mousy girl in true comedy cliché style but soon exposes her true talents and has Gianluca fall for her. Of course their wedding day is just the beginning of more trouble as Linda Patanè is still intend on inheriting everything for herself and people start double crossing each other in the suites of Linda's hotel to no avail.
Certainly not to be taken seriously, the homophobic view of most of the major characters in this film would never play with today's sensitive audience, but back in 1980 people had never heard of the term politically incorrect and Gianluca eventually gets the last laugh anyway. Probably the only redeeming feature this film has is the sight of a young and nubile Pamela P. who manages to hold up her own during the hectic and noisy goings on even though she doesn't appear in the film until half way through. Good for her.
6 out of 10
funny,good susan scott
robertofuiano2 June 2009
If this movie was Spielberg would have had more. Since these strontium on the assumption that a film must be beautiful to be directed by big names like Spielberg, Lucas, Jackson, Cameron. .. All these assessments are wrong you understand the level of bad opinion of this site. Only films for intellectuals can be saved. This film was produced with many dollars and the optimal use of special effects make the place as among the best science fiction film Americans. Finitela of using double standards when judged as a movie, try to be objective because they give 3.8 a film of its kind and reward a crap how terrible sin city with 8.2 is really a 'offense.
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