Johnny Stecchino (1991)

Director:

Roberto Benigni

Writers:

Roberto Benigni (writer)
Vincenzo Cerami (writer)

Release Date:

24 October 1991 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Sometimes a banana is just a banana !

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Sicily | Banana | Directed By Star | Palermo Italy

Awards:

3 wins

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:
Sal Borgese	...	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
Tony Sperandeo	...	Picciotto in auto (as Gaetano Sperandeo)
Giorgio Trestini	...	Portiere Hotel
Vito Zappala	...	Maresciallo

Also Known As:

Johnny Toothpick

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | UK:15 (re-rating) (2009) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-12 | Germany:16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bagheria, Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Company:

Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica

Trivia:

Italian box office greatest hit of its time.

Quotes:

Maria: Santa Cleopatra.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Making Life Beautiful (1999) (TV)

Benigni A Couple Of Years Before His Star Rose

Roberto Benigni, who went to achieve international stardom with "Life Is Beautiful," plays two roles in this comedy. The story is about an innocent man who is dead ringer for a gangster-informant-in hiding. Benigni plays both roles.

It's a decent movie, a low-key comedy that has some funny moments but would have been much better had it been chopped down about 15 minutes. It tends to drag a bit during the second half. Benigni, as the "wimp," is a very charming guy and one that's easy to root for, but the rest of the characters in the film are just so-so. It's odd to ever see the usually high-strung Benigni as a lower-key person.

Surprisingly, this is an "R" rated comedy, and that's because of the language. I rented this once, but would see it again, especially since it''s now available on DVD.