Johnny Stecchino (1991)

A kindhearted but bumbling idiot who likes to steal bananas, is passed off for a snitch hiding from the mob.

Director:

Roberto Benigni

Writers:

Roberto Benigni, Vincenzo Cerami

Stars:

Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Paolo Bonacelli

3 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Roberto Benigni	...	Dante / Johnny Stecchino
Nicoletta Braschi	...	Maria
Paolo Bonacelli	...	D'Agata
Franco Volpi	...	Ministro
Ivano Marescotti	...	Dr. Randazzo
Turi Scalia	...	Giudice
Loredana Romito	...	Gianna
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Salvatore Borghese	...	Ignazio
Gaetano Campisi	...	Picciotto in auto
Alessandro De Santis	...	Lillo
Giulio Donnini	...	Cardinale
Domenico Minutoli	...	Questore di Palermo
Georgia O'Brien	...	Moglie del ministro
Ignazio Pappalardo	...	Cozzamara
Gigliola Reina

Storyline

Good hearted but not very wordly-wise, Dante is happy driving the school bus for a group of mentally handicapped children, while feeling he is somehow missing out on life and love. So he is very excited when after nearly being knocked down by her car he meets Maria, who seems immediately enamoured of him. He is soon invited to her sumptuous Palermo villa, little suspecting that this is part of a plot. He bears an amazing likeness to Maria's stool-pigeon gangster husband and it would be convenient for them if the mobster, in the shape of Dante, was seen to be dead and buried.

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | banana | sicily | mayonaise | sicilian | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes a banana is just a banana !

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and drug related humor

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

24 October 1991 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Johnny Toothpick

Filming Locations:

Bagheria, Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Box Office

Gross:

$574,392 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica, Penta Film, Silvio Berlusconi Communications

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Italian box office greatest hit of its time.

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Goofs

In a scene in the basement, where the real Johnny is talking with his lawyer, he doesn't have the mole on his right side. That mole is significant, because it's the only thing that's different between him and Dante.

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Quotes

Maria: Santa Cleopatra.

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Connections

Referenced in Dead Man's Dream (2002)

User Reviews

Great comedy of misunderstanding

The genius with which Benigni weaves plots is most clearly displayed in this film. Nothing in the film is left to chance. Every scene, every action is (eventually) connected to others in a hilarious web. I've seen this movie 6 or 7 times. My wife wants to rent it again! and I will watch it for the 7th or 8th, having fun and marveling at the intricacies of the plot.

An early episode is a silly parlor game called "the cabinet member's wife." What is that about? What's funny about that. It isn't, but the game returns about three-quarters of the way through with surprising twists.

People who don't watch foreign films because they don't like reading subtitles are missing a world of great films, and this is one of the best.