Few films are scripted in such a way that the viewers are uncertain in which direction the story will unfold. This is one of those films that keeps the viewer guessing as to what's going to happen next. Somehow the film manages to be a love story and a comedy and part historical commentary (it's set in 1920s Fascist Italy) without firmly falling into any category. This is certainly the film's greatest asset thanks to a well written script (by actor-director Massimo Troisi and his long-time collaborator Anna Pavignano).

Troisi directs with a fine sense of pace and timing, rare for a comic actor. He shows a sense of rhythm reminiscent of great directors like Vittorio De Sica and Yasuijiro Ozu.

Director Troisi does spend a little too much time focusing on his own character which partially detracts from the film, but then as one of the "New Italian Comics" of the 1980s that is to be expected, but he is more restrained than many other self-directed comics.

Hard to find outside of Italy, it's well worth hunting down if you can get a copy. It's sad that Troisi died at the age of 41. The world lost a gifted comic too soon.