Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
A bureaucratic snafu sends Marco Tullio Sperelli, a portly, middle-aged northern Italian, to teach third grade in a poor town outside Naples
Lina Wertmüller's warm comedy benefits enormously from its vivid ensemble of child performers and Paolo Bonacelli's endearing lead, whose fish-out-of-water culture-clash dynamic feels genuine rather than contrived. The Neapolitan children steal every scene with naturalistic energy. Cinematography is functional and unremarkable, serving the story without distinction. The plot follows a fairly familiar arc of an outsider transformed by an underprivileged community, and while the film has authentic regional color and heart, it doesn't radically subvert the formula. The ending resolves warmly but somewhat predictably, consistent with the feel-good tone throughout.