Even though this is a 2001 film, we only caught up with it recently on a cable channel. The subject matter though, looks timeless compared to the current times the world is living. The affair of the American financier, Bernard Madoff, came to mind as Alberto, the successful financial executive, is swindled out of money he worked hard to have.
The realization that he has been had leads Alberto to despair, when he finds out he has no money to pay for his vacation, and that all his credit cards cannot be used at all. In Alberto's world everything has to amount to success, so how can he justify his own lack of business acumen by letting himself be fleeced by an unscrupulous man, to his own boss, or to his neighbor, who also happens to work for the same company and wants to get his job by whatever means? The solution is to spend the family vacation hidden in his basement!
Marcello Cesena, the director and co-adapter of this film, gives us a funny film about the pitfalls of losing one's credibility to his peers, as well as to his own family. The result is a movie that moves at a rapid pace. Best of all is Diego Abatantuono, an actor who we had only seen in more dramatic fare. As Alberto, he is a joy to watch; he is always resourceful, even at the worst moments. His wife is played by Victoria Abril, who doesn't have much to do in the picture.
The realization that he has been had leads Alberto to despair, when he finds out he has no money to pay for his vacation, and that all his credit cards cannot be used at all. In Alberto's world everything has to amount to success, so how can he justify his own lack of business acumen by letting himself be fleeced by an unscrupulous man, to his own boss, or to his neighbor, who also happens to work for the same company and wants to get his job by whatever means? The solution is to spend the family vacation hidden in his basement!
Marcello Cesena, the director and co-adapter of this film, gives us a funny film about the pitfalls of losing one's credibility to his peers, as well as to his own family. The result is a movie that moves at a rapid pace. Best of all is Diego Abatantuono, an actor who we had only seen in more dramatic fare. As Alberto, he is a joy to watch; he is always resourceful, even at the worst moments. His wife is played by Victoria Abril, who doesn't have much to do in the picture.