When I saw this 4-part mini-series on Italian TV I was surprised by how good it was,considering that writer/director Carlo Vanzina is most famous for the first Christmas movies starring Massimo Boldi and Christian De Sica,notorious for their bad language and lack of originality. This mini-series,however,is well written,brilliantly acted,and most of all,genuinely funny. It's the story of two families,one from Menaggio(the Fumagallis),one from Rome(the Dominicis),who meet during a vacation abroad and then decide to meet again once they're back in Italy.Things get complicated when Ludovica Fumagalli and Alessio Dominici fall in love,and she gets pregnant... While they have to face their own problems,Ludovica's father Lorenzo(Massimo Boldi),who runs a multiplex in Menaggio,has to deal with the presence of the Dominicis,particularly Alessio's father Alberto(Maurizio Mattioli),his "fratello"(brother)who he doesn't like particularly,although the two have to join forces to keep their kids'marriage together and to save each other from bankruptcy.
The main reason to watch this is Boldi,who,without De Sica,is really funny,something he usually is only in the TV shows he hosts with fellow comedians Teo Teocoli and Diego Abatantuono. In this mini-series he doesn't swear to make the audience laugh.Instead,he prefers quoting the legendary comedian Toto':"E io pago!"(And I'm the one who pays).
The best proof that foul-mouthed comedians aren't always the most successful ones.
