AllMovie

Ettore Scola directed this light comedy starring Jack Lemmon and Marcello Mastroianni that Scola calls "a story about two men who have reached the age where you look back and take stock." Lemmon plays business executive Robert Traven, who returns Naples for the first time since 1946, when he had an affair with an Italian girl named Maria. The girl's brother, Antonio Jasiello (Marcello Mastroianni) recognizes Robert and they sit around, catch up with old times. But when Antonio takes Robert to visit Maria (Giovanna Sanfilippo), Robert discovers Antonio has been writing letters to her in Robert's name for years, building up Robert to legendary status. Since the letters were not kept secret, everyone who knows Maria and Antonio greets Robert as if he were a living legend.