Review of Life Is Beautiful (1997) by Joe C — 04 Jan 2015

One of cinema's most eclectic confections, Life is Beautiful is known for two things; it's feel good flamboyance, and how it all gets shot to hell when the Nazis get involved. How well it amalgamates the two is an opinion that's split pretty much 50/50.

Life is Beautiful is a difficult film to categorize, and an even more difficult to fall for in the beginning, as it's almost too eager to please in the first half. Hang in there, though, and it'll floor you in a way you never thought possible, as the story of an eccentric Jewish man using humor to shield his son from the horrors of a concentration camp is told with warmth and a stark sternness.

Writer/director/star Roberto Benigni's comedy-cum-drama is not about Nazis, fascism, death camps, or WWII; it's about the persistence of the human spirit, undying optimism and a parent's unshakable love for their child.

And boy does it pack an emotional wallop.