Watching a buddy movie that keeps your attention, connects you to the characters, and speaks to your heart is a surprising and great experience. When the film in question is from the 1950's and is still identifiable today, it's a damn miracle.
This was Federico Fellini's first commercially successful film and while it isn't the style of film-making that made him famous, it's still a great example of his creative genius.
An example of the brilliance of this film is the character Fausto. It's amazing that such a repulsive, id-centered person doesn't ruin the film or make it ridiculous. Instead he is somehow almost lovable. I was hoping for more poetic justice against him, but the way it stands works because it's just so funny.
Fellini was always ahead of his time, but in this film he didn't need fantasies, dream sequences, elaborate sets, or hallucinatory freak-outs to display his prophetic approach to directing. It's shown through honest dialogue, fluid structure, attention to detail, and heart. You know he cares deeply for each of these five loafers.
The last five minutes of the film was the highlight for me. I loved the train panning past their beds as Moraldo leaves their lifestyle forever. I also loved the seamless fusion of comedy and tragedy. Alberto dressed in drag while heart-broken by his sister deserting him is a great example of this (and an early example of Fellini's obsession with the nature of clowns).
It's hard to believe a movie like this preceded "Diner" and "Swingers" by thirty years and isn't always mentioned side by side with other Fellini masterpieces. I found this film relatable, laugh out loud funny, cry out loud tragic, and a pivotal event in the evolution of the "buddy" film.
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