Italian comedy, Belli Ciao, is a not-so-subtle send-up of the pretensions of northern cities such as Milan and an overly romantic view of life in villages in Puglia in the south.
Best friends since childhood, Pio (Pio D’Antini) and Amedeo (Amadeo Grieco), are inseparable.
That is until graduation when Pio decides to try his luck in Milan, where fame and fortune beckon.
Pio becomes a financial wizard, eventually returning to Puglia as an investor to reinvigorate the sleepy village he came from in a scheme to encourage the area’s youth to stay put.
Amadeo, meanwhile, runs the town pharmacy, he did not become the medical doctor he dreamed of. He’s also a town councillor.
When Pio returns to Milan, Amadeo follows, moving in with Pio and his influencer girlfriend (Lorena Cacciatore). All is not what it seems, however.
The pretence is that Milan turns honest, affable northerners into pretentious jerks.
This is the set-up for clowning, comic banter and lampooning.
Like Roman versions of Asterix and Obelisk, Pio and Amedeo reignite their old friendship and stumble through hipster Milan causing much mayhem.
Thrown into the mix is a subplot involving Amadeo’s pursuit of a girl (Rosa Diletta Rossi) he meets in a shop while buying socks, and a very silly ending.
D’Antini and Grieco have great chemistry and plenty of slapstick comedy moments, despite a thin script co-written by the pair and director Gennaro Nunziante.
If you like comedy centred around puns, caricatures, tongue-in-cheek stereotypes and mild homophobia, then Belli Ciao is for you.
Belli Ciao opened the 2022 St Ali Italian Film Festival in Melbourne.
Melbourne screenings: Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Cinema Nova, Kino Cinema and Pentridge Cinema on various dates and times until October 11
For details, visit https://www.italianfilmfestival.com.au/films/belli-ciao