The Easy Life

Really wonderful, not just as a comedy but as a contrast of two very different personalities each with their flaws and strengths and sincere humanity. While there is some repetitiveness it serves a purpose in establishing nuances of the characters and leads to very well executed finale.

What starts off as a seemingly traditional pair of opposites (the live-for-the-moment charmer and the studious & reserved wallflower) on a seemingly carefree journey is occasionally and then quite literally flipped onto its head. This is about subversion on many levels - what makes one laugh grows to concern and sadden. One’s strengths are revealed in time to be weaknesses. And eventual character change is punished by completely avoidable tragedy.

Breezy and funny, until it isn't. Bruno is obnoxious and rude, with no sense of decency toward anyone unfortunate enough to wander into his path. Where this comedy finds an unexpected pathos is when it becomes clear how pitiful the brute is: incapable of forging lasting human connection, utterly wrecking any chance he has at it. Trintignant is an anchor of sympathy. Boy, that ending: the possibility of it scratches at the back of the mind, but still when it finally occurs, it's a shock.

It's really good, funny and easygoing but also unexpectedly tragic and beautiful in a way that somehow doesn't clash with the film's sunny road-trip tone. The two leads are perfect. I highly recommend it.

A fantastic odd couple/road trip movie, pure delight. It follows a familiar formula, but from the moment Gassman revs through the opening credits in that iconic car, the movie races with boundless energy. Never over-the-top, but always propelling towards the next amusing encounter. Gassman and Trintignant play off each other wonderfully, without seeming like stereotypes, and bring poignancy without sap. You can't help but smile watching this, and the ending is definitely something to chew on.

On one side, I was really pleased with the Manic Pixie Dream Boy character. On the other hand, that car horn is the Scrappy Doo of this film; unforgettable but for all the wrong reasons.

I really loved this semi-forgotten Italian road movie. Gassman and Trintignant make for one of the most enjoyable duos in film history, and hanging out with their characters, Bruno and Roberto, is a total blast.

Incredible fun, but that ending left me really disturbed. Best not to think about it, and to just remember the hilarious road trip through Italy. I wish I had a friend like Bruno... I think.

Effortlessly cool and strikingly modern. A delight. And such beautiful girls!

An awesome lighthearted neorealist buddy/road movie, and still, nowhere near as perfect as Risi's previous Una Vita Difficile.

I'm not always a huge road movie guy or a huge fan of most of what I've seen out of Italy in this period, but this one is pretty great. Gassman gives a performance with an energy that reminds me a bit of Robin Williams or a less annoying Roberto Benini. His behavior is abhorrent, but it's hard not to smile along. Trintignant is excellent as his straight laced travel partner. The ending is brilliant, recontextualizing and maybe you re-examine the entire film and what it's saying.

I don't know how I should feel about how much of myself I saw in Roberto...

An Italian take on the way a more liberal hedonistic consumer culture impacted a changing of standards post WW2. How an old more rigid conservatism has given way to liberalism. The good with that and the bad. Not dissimilar to Ozu stuff about the same sort of topics (obviously nowhere near as good). One man goaded to breaks the chains of traction and one man forced to combat what his lifestyle has done to people he has abandoned. Lacks any humour tho for being a comedy. Looks decent.

Scenic Italian road comedy across gentle locales and gorgeous women. The stark difference across the two men was well played. You could really project your feelings about a changing society and its different expressions, yet common desires a generation away from war. People were rude to each other, but at the same time it all felt harmless. We need more colorful car horns. Fav scenes: visiting the relatives and stepping into the sunny room; going to the beach and seeing everyone so carefree.

In some way a comedic predecessor to THE SWIMMER (1968), though not quite.

Did this flick create the modern day road movie? Perhaps. I loved it.

Joyfully reckless

Bah buh doh bah! Bah buh doh bah!

watched: 2015, 2017, 2024

The sleights against nuns and priests were uncalled for. An unenjoyable watch. Gassman is an irritating obnoxious lech. Tritignant should have ditched him. Cool to see 1962 Italy and has its moments but, overall, not worth it.

YOU MUST WATCH THIS.

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