AllMovie

A newcomer in 1981, Massimo Troisi wrote, directed, and starred in this popular comedy about the trials of Gaetano (Troisi) as he runs head-on into quirky characters ranging from a driver bent on ending it all with him in the car, to his mother who considers his forthcoming trip to Florence right up there with a visit to Siberia. Once Gaetano reaches Florence from his beloved Naples, overcoming all manner of obstacles in the process, he visits his 40-ish aunt and finds, to his chagrin, that she has a lover. He leaves, as this is wholly unacceptable, and ends up staying with a born-again American Christian out to convert the Italians. Life gets a little better as he is befriended by a charming young woman (Fiorenza Marchegiani) who does not want to convert anyone, and he moves in with her. From there, Gaetano starts to overcome his shyness, understandable considering the people he knows, and he contemplates life differently after this short time away from home.