The master Monicelli created another black humor comedy where all characters had a terrible New Year's Eve during a Roman night with all sort of mismatches and misunderstanding with a power trio as bit player actress Gioia Tortorella (Anna Magnani) that envisages a bustling night at Rome in search for a new romance, meanwhile her applicant the unlucky Umberto Infortunio Pennazutto (Totò) which agreed aid a pickpocket thief Lello (Ben Gazzara) in high class night club, Umberto just has to receive the jewels and aftermaths hide it at bathroom, when sudden appears a stone in the shoes Tortorella screw up the stealing ongoing.
Whenever Umberto and Lello are come up the tawdry Tortorella hindering the steal, then they find out an drunkard American tourist (Fred Clark) they planned steal his valet, sadly it has a chain tie up in the suit, afterwards the American has involved with a gorgeous girl as a bait to "Clean" all his valet's money, however upon meeting Tortorella who previously faces at wrong fountain's luck, soon they left behind all them and headed to "Fontana de Trevi" at late night, wreaking bedlam when the police arrived and ceased the louder mess.
Shortly after all them in front a flamboyant German palace, they are hit by fireworks with Umberto yelling about a possible suit for damages, thus the Germans to avoid some disturbance they kindly invite them to the party, champagne, high-class cuisine where the hungry Umberto savoring plenty on the table, often asking if someone on the house was there at Rome when the city was took by Nazi Germans, funniest scene, indeed.
Soon Lello figures out that such place has countless jewels to stolen and use the sexual interest of Tortorella for him, Lello settles a bold plan to hide the stolen precious objects, meanwhile Umberto and Tortorella realize all over and denied make part of the robbery afraid to sent to jail without right to a parole, sad it was too late and all them are catch in act by security staff when they found the valuable objects hidden at Tortorella's scarf.
It was a minor movie from Monicelli, full of ups and downs, a slight dated by now, therefore it will appease some and boring others, for me an above average presentation just by Anna Magnani and the priceless Totó, all remainder casting made a customary performance aside Fred Clark.
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First Watch: 2023 /How many: 1 /Source: DVD /Rating: 7.5.
