Quintessential road-movie comedy is simply miraculous: hilarious, moving and thought-provoking

Author: debblyst from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
24 February 2006

Bruno (Gassman), pushing forty, is a no-good con artist, a "vitellone": loud, hyperactive, exhibitionist, self-centered, narcissistic, immature, confrontational, untrustworthy and...irresistible. He leads the "easy life", his talent to cause trouble is only surpassed by his talent to disentangle himself from trouble — not always unscathed. One mid-summer holiday (the "Ferragosto"), he meets by chance Roberto (Trintignant), a young law student in his early 20s, terribly shy, slightly bored, docile, self-effacing and inexperienced. Bruno practically drags Roberto to his convertible Lancia Aurelia and together they hit the road from Rome to Lazio and Tuscany, an initiation trip for Roberto — and when it's over, you know this movie will remain in your heart and mind forever. 

"Il Sorpasso" is THE definitive combination of comedy and road movie, and quite simply miraculous: how can a film be so funny AND emotional, light AND thought-provoking, classic AND modern? Well, some of the reasons:

-- The fabulous script, starting with three-dimensional flesh+blood characters Bruno and Roberto. Dino Risi (who holds a degree in Psychiatry, as his eye for psychological details shows) and experienced writing duo Ettore Scola and Ruggero Maccari (who had written by that time some 18 scripts!) create two of the most fascinating characters in movies: Bruno's layers coming off and Roberto's self-discovery building up before our eyes. The film excels in hilarious confrontational situations, finely drawn supporting characters (including drool-inducing 17y.o. Catherine Spaak as Bruno's sensible, lovely daughter; and Luciana Angiolilo as Bruno's no- nonsense, sensuously mature ex-wife); endlessly quotable lines (including the side-splitting remarks on Antonioni's "L'Eclisse" and the very spicy mating dance between Bruno and the Commendatore's wife); the underlying criticism of Italian society (the last breath of the economic boom of the 1950s that ultimately deepened the gap between rich x poor, bourgeoisie x proletariat, North x South, leading to chaos in the 1970s); and, surely, the heart-stopping finale. 

-- Gassman and Trintignant are nothing short of magical: they know these are once-in-a-lifetime roles and, boy, they squeeze all the juice out of them ! Gassman (who said Bruno was probably his all-time favorite film performance) builds Bruno with tour-de-force physicality and boundless energy, from risky-driving, water-skiing and doing handstands to highly elaborate body work (his "choreography" as he gets out of the ladies' toilet is worth a 1,000 lines). When was a scoundrel so complex and irresistible? Contrastingly, Trintignant (at 32 but completely convincing as a young student) goes inwards, acting with practically his eyes and mouth only, and yet we can see the full blossoming of his joie-de-vivre and fascination with Bruno (notice the worshiping glow in his eyes as he listens to Bruno at dusk). When was a shy man ever performed with such intelligence, sensitivity and charm? To top it all, their interplay is wondrous: when they laugh heartily at the riotous hick twist party you know these two men have really bonded! 

-- Direction/cinematography: film encyclopedias affirm road movies existed long before "Il Sorpasso", but which, again? THIS is the first MODERN road movie: no back projections, no studio stuff, no dinosaur automobiles, no stunt doubles, but two stars really driving that triumph-of-design convertible Lancia Aurelia (the film's third star and symbol of the Italian boom) with its matchless horn sound on the real desert streets of Rome on a real Ferragosto holiday, and then on Italian roads doing real, risky "sorpassi". The film takes places in just over 24 hours and the lighting is always spot on.

-- the music: back in 1962, it was not that usual to use pop hits as a commentary for the action. But listen to the words of "Guarda Come Dondolo" (Look How I Swing) and how it perfectly matches Bruno's swinging behavior. Vianello, di Capri, Modugno...who can resist those exhilarating Italian pop songs of the 60s? 

In the Brazilian DVD extras, Risi recalls the idea for "Sorpasso" came when he went on a road trip with a trouble-making, hyperactive producer, who would drive to Switzerland just to buy a pack of cigarettes. The film's finale was disputed during shooting: the producer wanted a happy ending to save expenses with the last scene (you'll know why). "Il Sorpasso" finally opened to unenthusiastic critical reception and mild box-office but immediately became a word-of-mouth fever and a smash hit in Europe, Latin America and the U.S., having influenced generations of road movies world- wide, most notoriously Dennis Hopper's "Easy Rider" (from the title to the finale) and Wim Wenders' masterpiece "Im Lauf der Zeit" (whose protagonists were named Bruno and Robert after "Il Sorpasso").

Since this is a film to watch over and over again, purchase your own copy and notice the innuendos concerning Bruno and Roberto's sexual profiles. You can either laugh at how sex-deprived they are (Bruno brags a lot but he doesn't score once, not even with the waitress -- he's so sex starved he attacks the Commendatore's wife, his own ex-wife and even his own daughter in a black wig; Roberto is obviously a virgin); or, if you're in such a mood, count the numerous gay undertones (Bruno – the infinitely narcissistic 40ish mamma's boy -- using the ladies' toilet without a blink; Bruno teaching aunt Lidia how to apply cat-eye make-up; Bruno and Roberto's body contact especially after the night-club fight; Bruno giving up potentially easy conquests, such as the German girls and the waitress; Bruno instantly recognizing Occhio Fino is gay; Bruno jokingly to Roberto: "Well, you know, I don't fancy men but if even if I did you're not my type"; "When we get back to Rome I'll introduce yo to mamma and we can see each other every day" etc). It's just one more way to enjoy the richness of this brilliant comedy.

DO NOT MISS this insightful, hilarious, influential, fascinating, ageless film. "Il Sorpasso" is one of the best comedies of all time, a legitimate masterpiece from an era when Italian cinema was probably the best around.

31 out of 38 people found the following review useful:
* 

One of the ten best italian movies ever made!

Author: giovanni manara (mpvtfm) from Catania, Italy
30 January 2000

I've seen this movie hundreds & hundreds of time, and I'm not tired yet to watch it, and this just because this movie represents how we italians were in the sixties and how we still are. It is probably one of the ten best italian movies ever made. If you are able to understand Italian, watch it in its original version.

23 out of 29 people found the following review useful:
* 

Tragicomedy at its best!

Author: sgurgolo
11 May 2001

Italian movies are all the same. Sometimes you laugh, sometimes you cry. No thrills, you never really HANG to your seat. This is an example for what italian cinema was meant to be but never was. This was avant-garde, with powerful acting and a great script. This was universal cinema, while nowadays is all partisan movies and mafia movies and tragic movies, even the world famous benigni gives a poor image of the potentials of Italian cinema. This is one of the BIG movies from italy, and even if Risi filmography aint full of masterworks, this is a movie that can make his name a BIG name in Movies History. Gassman and Trintignant and even Catherine Spaak dominate the scene and the country roads of Lazio and Toscana play their part as well. The tragedy is way before the final, and is all found in the unsatisfying way of life both main carachters are living. Italian tragicomedy at its highest peak, no competition at all! 10 out of ten