Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Three very different Italians travel to their hometowns on election day: Pasquale, a Southern immigrant living in Munich, finds a country far removed from the one he left behind; Roman civil servant Furio's relentless nitpicking threatens to push his wife Magda over the edge; young Mimmo's journey is repeatedly interrupted by concerns about his grandmother's health.
Carlo Verdone's breakthrough feature showcases three distinct comic vignettes united by the election-day road-trip conceit. The real draw is Verdone's performance(s) — he plays all three protagonists with remarkable comedic precision and character differentiation, particularly the insufferable Furio, who became a cultural touchstone in Italy. The episodic structure is charming but uneven, and the cinematography is functional rather than distinctive — typical of Italian comedies of the era with no particular visual ambition. The concept of multiple-character road trips was not entirely fresh even in 1981, though Verdone's personal voice and satirical observation of Italian regional types gives it genuine flavor. The endings of the three stories vary in satisfaction, with Furio's arc being the standout and Mimmo's feeling somewhat slight.