Checco Zalone Film Updated -

Is it high art? No. The plot is predictable, the secondary characters are cardboard, and the ending is saccharine. But as a comedy of manners, it is surgical. Zalone does not preach; he makes you laugh at the very things you know you shouldn’t laugh at. You laugh at his racism, then realize you laughed at your own.

If one must review a single, definitive Zalone film, it is Quo Vado? Directed by Gennaro Nunziante, the film follows Checco, a lazy Italian who lands a cushy, no-show job at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage. When reforms threaten his sinecure, he follows his boss to Africa to keep the job, only to find himself falling in love with a veterinarian who actually wants to work. checco zalone film

★★★★☆ (4/5) Overall on Zalone’s Filmography: If you want Fellini, look elsewhere. If you want to understand why Italy simultaneously loves and hates itself, watch Checco Zalone. He is the court jester of the Bel Paese—annoying, vulgar, and absolutely necessary. Is it high art