One Word Movie

Life is Beautiful

I avoided this when it first came out, because I couldn't imagine how it could possibly be good: a comedy about concentration camps that is feted at the Oscars; what will they fall for next, I wondered, maybe a film about how Werner Von Braun is a cracking bloke and helps small children win science fairs? Well, it turns out that I was wrong, Life is Beautful is fantastic.

It's the sort of film that Charlie Chaplin might have made, because it's full of clowning and joy. It's both funny and sad, but not in the unfortunate way where the funny bits make you sad, and the sad bits make you laugh. At the end there's a scene where they really try hard to make you cry, and it almost managed it - I only avoided blubbing by dessicating my eyeballs with dust from pool chalk.

Some people have said that this film is offensive, but they are clearly miserable arseholes. The funny bits do make you laugh, but they're sad as hell too, because you know what's going to happen. I thought this was a really orginal and great film, but unfortunately in this instance good is the best rating that this website allows me to purvey.

posted by Chairman Peyote @ 8:39 AM