No doubt about it, this is a very funny film. But it is more than just the string of lunatic comedic moments; it also examines themes of friendship and growing up.
Remarkably, De Sica doesn’t waste any time on setting the scene or on the family’s backstory in this act. He deems the viewer intelligent enough to take clues from the allegories he provides, and doesn’t take refuge in a voiceover.
I went to the movies that night in order to take my mind off the second anniversary of my mother’s death. I was in a lot of pain over her passing and, contrary to all the platitudes I had heard, time was not healing this wound.