Antonio Albanese Movies

Two men with virtually nothing in common strike up the closest of friendships but must deal with the impending shadow of mortality, in this gentle comedy-drama from cause-célèbre Italian director Francesca Archibugi. Successful screenwriter Alberto (Antonio Albanese) checks himself into the hospital complaining of chest pains; meanwhile, affluent garage owner Angelo (Kim Rossi Stuart suffers from a massive heart attack and winds up in the same room next to Alberto, where he makes a series of courageous but unsuccessful attempts to rebound and feels his condition deteriorating. In-between Alberto's visitations from various movie industry friends (established via a series of cameos) and Angelo's chats with pregnant wife Rossana (Micaela Ramazzotti), the patients become acquainted, and before long they mutually regress to goofy, teenage behavior and begin swapping confidences. Angelo develops a deep-seated level of respect and admiration for Alberto - enough that he begins to perceive the writer as someone who can provide for Rosanna and the kids after his own death - and Alberto, who has seldom been close to anyone, develops a real sense of what friendship means for the first time in his life. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

In Bread and Tulips, director Silvio Soldini detailed the journey of a discontented housewife who threw caution to the wind to find true happiness in Venice; in Days and Clouds, the same filmmaker explores the opposite side of the coin by telling the tale of a middle-class homemaker from Genoa who suddenly finds her life turned upside down. Elsa (Margherita Buy) is the picture of middle-class contentment: she's happily married, well adjusted, and spends most of her spare time developing her skills as an amateur historian specializing in restoration. Recently, Elsa even decided to return to school in order to earn her degree. One day, after gently scraping the ceiling of a local chapel to reveal hidden angels that hadn't seen the light of day in decades, Elsa is informed by her husband, Michele (Antonio Albanese), that the couple will have to give up their posh apartment. Michele was formerly a partner in a successful shipping firm, but now that his partner has forced him out of the business, the happy husband and wife won't be able to maintain their current lifestyle. In the aftermath of that disheartening revelation, Elsa and Michele both try to find work while dealing with the predicament in directly opposing ways. Later, after moving into a much smaller apartment, the cracks in Elsa and Michele's now fragile marriage gradually begin to widen. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A pair of would-be criminals get more than they bargained for during a robbery of a Catholic church in this satiric comedy from Italy. Willy (Fabrizio Bentivoglio) is a salesman who has been fired from his job, while his friend Antonio (Antonio Albanese) is a football player whose career has hit the skids. Short on money and with no immediate prospects, Willy and Antonio decide to steal the donation box at a church in a prosperous neighborhood. The burglary turns disastrous, but as they flee, Antonio grabs a jeweled curio, which turns out to be a holy relic containing the tongue of Saint Antonio, the patron saint of the humble and needy. Thinking he may have found a gold mine, Antonio demands a ransom from the Vatican in exchange for the safe return of the tongue. When the church refuses to pay, the novice thieves pry some of the rubies from the relic and try to sell them to a pack of gypsies. But the gypsies turn out to be big fans of Saint Antonio, and are horrified when they discover the source of the jewels. Krondano (Toni Bertorelli), the gypsy leader, takes the story of the stolen relic to the media, who have a field day with it, and Maritan (Giulio Brogi), a successful businessman who believes he owes his good fortune to Saint Antonio, steps forward to offer a bounty for the safe recovery of the saint's tongue. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This animated feature, based on a best-selling Chilean children's book, was the most expensive Italian cartoon ever at the time of its release, produced at a cost of $6 million. Zorba, a cat, one day finds a dying seagull in his yard, a victim of a recent oil spill. Zorba promises the gull that he'll look after the egg she's nesting, and before long Lucky is hatched. Zorba watches over the baby bird and teaches it to fly with the help of his friends, but when Lucky runs afoul of a gang of criminal sewer rats, Zorba must come to the rescue. A planned English-language version is expected to feature voices and songs from British pop musicians Peter Hammill and Midge Ure. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A loving young husband (popular Italian comedian Antonio Albanese) goes out one night to get his pregnant wife Beatrice (Valeria Milillo) the jar of mushrooms she craves and does not return for five years. Unbeknownst to either of them, Antonio was about to buy the mushrooms when a large package fell and conked him on the head. He regained consciousness with no memory whatsoever and simply wandered away. Five years later, he returns home with his wife's mushrooms with no idea that he had lost his memory. Unfortunately, by this time Beatrice has taken up with Gotffredo (Antonio Petrocelli), an experimental musician. He is the only father, her daughter Tonina (Sara Anticoli) knows. Undeterred, Antonio launches a determined, comical campaign to win back the naturally reticent Beatrice. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi