Mi faccio la barca

I am italian and usually very very very evil when it comes to review an italian movie but this one, in my opinion, deserves 10 stars because it's not so easy to see, expecially nowadays, a lighthearted comedy like this here in Italy... 2020's italian movies are usually filled with vulgar jokes, bad habits (portraited like "good things to do"), politically correct boring contents (believe me, took the "politically correct" challenge at a very very very boring and wrong level) and so on. So, a movie like this one is a masterpiece compared to the today trash.

Piero is a dentist who's going to spend the summer with his two children on his own boat. The journey (and even the start of it) won't be so easy but with the help of Roberta, Piero's ex wife) things wil be easier...

I didn't want to write more about the plot just to avoid spoilers but, as you can see, the story is a simple summer story of a family vacation on the sea. Even is simple, the movie is full of amazing things. First of all the locations. I'm italian and a little proud of my Country, but, believe me, italian Coasts and seas are really amazing. The actors are quiet good even Christian De Sica who I can't stand in the late "cinepanettoni" which are all the same and full of the cliches I've talked about at the beginning of my review. Dialogues are truly believable too. It can be a 40-years-old movie but it grew up well as it could be set in 2020 and nobody would ever see the differences.

For me it's 10 stars.

Director and writer Sergio Corbucci's passport to fame was the Italo-Western genre, but in the Seventies, the comedies were en vogue in Italy, and Corbucci churned out one by one. The 1980 production „Mi faccio la barca" quickly slipped into obscurity, however:

The Roman dentist Piero (Johnny Dorelli) wants to spend his holidays cruising on a small sailing boat, together with his two little children. His ex-wife Roberta (Laura Antonelli) is planning quite a similar thing – with her high-society friends on a luxury yacht, though. But when Piero's first forays to the sea end in disaster, Roberta is worried about the children and decides to embark on his boat. The reunited family sets sail – lots of adventures and strange encounters await them. Will they reach Sardinia? And more importantly, will Piero and Roberta get back together?

As you can guess by the description, this is a family comedy, a family adventure. There is not much depth in terms of characters, the plot is neither very refined nor does it have any surprises in store (except for one, see below). It's supposed to be easy fun, not much more. For the most part, it actually works, since the two stars harmonize quite well, the screenplay capitalizes on the unique setting, and the pacing is high enough to avoid any idleness. And I loved the locations, the Italian seaside, the Tyrrhenian Sea and of course the wonderful music. Itchy feet. Did I mention that this movie has gorgeous Laura running around in swimsuits throughout?

Unfortunately, a couple of the events are just too far-fetched. What are the chances that Piero will run into his (topless) assistant chick on Sardinia? And then, just when you might think the movie is about to end, the screenplay adds another plot with two goons who kidnap the boat and the family. The whole ending is over the top and for me, it just doesn't fit with the harmless comedy of the preceding 90 minutes. Last but not least, the kids are annoying. Luckily they don't have too many dialogs, but when they do, it is either wisecracking about sailing, or commenting on bad language by the adults and other tedious, opinionated stuff like that.

Overall, regardless of the clear shortcomings, an easy, tame, fun movie for friends of Italian comedies. I'd instantly prefer this to all the action comedy flicks Corbucci did at the time. And any Laura Antonelli fan shouldn't miss this for the world.