Benigni reminds me of a speaking version of Harpo Marx. Like Harpo, he is a loveable satyr and trickster. Both men are short and are not handsome, but they have wonderfully expressive faces and are masters of physical humor.

I have seen two other Benigni films: Johnny Toothpick and Life is Beautiful. The Monster and Johnny Toothpick are somewhat similar in style and content, although I prefer the former to the latter. In any case, if you enjoyed one, you probably will enjoy the other. Life is Beautiful is an entirely different sort of movie, deftly blending comedy and drama. Life is Beautiful is an outstanding film, but if that is the only film of Benigni's you have seen, you should understand that the Monster is much less serious and much more crass.

"Loris...a normal name. It warms the heart..." (Rating: 5.00)
Review : There are a lot of people out there who do not like to watch subtitled movies. They'll base what they see and what they don't on this alone. If you are one of these people, and I must say that I understand how aggravating it is to have to read the whole movie, and that is why you have never seen The Monster, and insist you never will, I must say that you are missing out on something really good.
As for those who have simply never heard of The Monster, let me say that it is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. Roberto Benigni is an excellent actor, and a hilarious one too. He is like an Italian version of Jim Carrey, only ten times better.
The Monster, or Il Mostro as it is called in Italian, is about a man named Loris who is a sane enough man, if not a little bit strange. But he is by no means a decent human being. He steals, he lies, he cheats his landlord out of potential buyers of his apartment (yet he won't pay the rent). He places supermarket items on other shoppers at the local grocery as a way to make the alarm systems go crazy, so that he can easily get away with a coat full of stolen goods. At the same time that Loris is doing all these illegal things, another man is going around raping and killing off the female population. Due to some hilarious misunderstanding, Loris is focused in on as being the main suspect. After watching a tape that the police have made of Loris on a "normal day", it is easy to understand why. In order to catch Loris "with his hand in the cookie jar", a policewoman named Jessica is assigned the job of seducing him, and once he responds to her sexual innuendoes, she is to slap on the cuffs and haul him in. After all, that will prove he is some kind of sex maniac, right?
I recommend this movie to Italians who enjoy a good laugh, fans of Benigni and any one else with a sense of humor. I first saw this movie a couple of years ago at my grandparents' house. I have loved it ever since.

European style funny (Rating: 5.00)
Review : I think people who experienced living in Europe may find this movie much funnier than those who did not. It should be of no surprise that this is probably the highest grossing movie in Italy whereas in the US it received sub-par reviews.

the funniest movie ever (Rating: 5.00)
Review : You must like slapstick... but beyond that all that is required is that you can double over with laughter! Don't read the critics, this is a comedy not a drama. This movie is funniest with subtitles, not dubbed.

Peter Sellers, Charlie Chaplin step aside, here comes your equal. ( Son of Pink Panther is very under rated as well.) Let yourself get into the Italian sence of humour and remember the subtitles are a lttle cruder then the actual Italian is. Enjoy.

A rare accomplishment -- a funny comedy! (Rating: 5.00)
Review : Maybe the funniest film I've ever seen in my life. This one tops them all -- "Kentucky Fried Movie," "Ishtar," "The Tall Guy" -- you name it. Benigni proves, once again, why he is a comedic genius with this tale of mistaken identity. He plays a bumbling con artist who manages to weasel his way through life without paying for *anything.* After a mishap involving a nymphomaniac and a chainsaw, the cops mistake him for a serial murderer/rapist. As in "Johnny Stecchino," Benigni's gags are wildly inventive. The humor here is some of the raunchiest in memory, though interestingly, it never once becomes offensive. I laughed so hard at this movie that I actually found it impossible to watch the entire film in one sitting -- two back-to-back sequences alone should immortalize the comedian, one involving a grocery store theft and another involving a security film of Benigni dropping a cigarette butt down his pants. You'll laugh so hard, you won't be able to breathe. Unforgettable.