The Monster

1994 dark comedy

Rating: 15/20

Plot: A guy who has some kind of unexplained job that has to do with transporting mannequins, due to a series of unfortunate events putting him in the wrong place at the wrong time, is mistaken for a serial rapist and murderer.

There was a time when I wanted get my hands on as much Roberto Benigni as I could after seeing him first in Down by Law and then Life Is Beautiful. I just couldn't find any of his Italian movies, and it was disappointing. I was able to enjoy his version of Pinocchio, one of the most unfortunate passion projects I've ever seen. The same part of me that enjoys Tati, Chaplin, and Keaton, I believed, would enjoy Benigni's early Italian work. Of course, Benigni is a whole lot louder than those guys.

So this wasn't disappointing at all. It was much raunchier and much darker than what I would have expected from this clown. Right from the pre-credits opening scene, in which a scream precedes a shot of a dead woman's leg keeping an elevator door from closing, I was hooked with the darker comedy. Black slapstick isn't something you come across too often, you know.

The plot is simple enough, really just an excuse for the gags. And there are plenty of those! Thinking about how much I appreciated seeing Benigni with a lit cigarette in his pants or Benigni with a coat stuffed with shoplifted items or Benigni trying to get a pair of mannequins in the back of his van or Benigni maneuvering Keaton-like through scaffolding to get to his apartment or Benigni twice using flashlights ingeniously or Benigni using this recurring squat-walk gag, it makes me wonder if I should revisit those Naked Gun movies that my step-father enjoys so much. Maybe my taste in comedy really has always been much dumber than I think it is. 

Evan Lurie, one of The Lounge Lizards and brother of Benigni co-star John Lurie, did the music for this. I liked it, but you have to be able to stomach a lot of accordion.

Nicoletta Braschi, Benigni's actual wife, plays his character's love interest in this. I thought she was as sexy as hell.

I watched this on Youtube when searching for 1994 movies. I really should look for other Benigni movies. I know he's not everybody's cup of clown, but I think he's delightful. If you think he's delightful and enjoy darker comedies, you'd probably like Il Mostro.