Diego Abatantuono Movies

Directed by Gabriele Salvatores, Amnesia takes place in the Spanish island of Ibiza, where an odd mix of commercialism, ex-hippies, fisherman, and artists co-exist. Town locals Sandro (Diego Abatantunono), a pornographic film director, and Angelino (Sergio Rubini), the manager of a beachside watering hole, find their very different lives overlapping. Meanwhile, the island police chief (Juanjo Puigcorbe), who is currently at odds with his rebellious son Jorge (Ruben Ochandiano), is investigating the death of a drug dealer (which was accidentally brought on by Angelino). Jorge's plans to move to America have so far been thwarted by his father, but when he finds out about the affair his dad had been having with a male nightclub dancer, he uses it as blackmail fodder.

~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Four hard-working, under-appreciated waiters must deal with the rude, demanding middle-class at a wedding anniversary in this Italian comedy. The story is set at Eden, a run-down restaurant that has just been bought by Azzaro. The restaurant staff do not know whether or not they will still have jobs. The new owner brings his family, friends, and some cheesy musicians to celebrate his parent's 50th wedding anniversary. These nouveau riche, who outwardly seem so refined, quickly reveal their true nature once the party gets started. The new boss is a boor, and his father an adulterer, whose wife is severely depressed and becomes increasingly morose. The four waiters have their own problems. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The insidious emergence of state-sanctioned anti-Semitism in Fascist Italy sets the stage for this historical drama. In 1938, Umberto (Diego Abatantuono) is a tailor who is beginning to lose business to Leone (Sergio Castellito), a haberdasher whose shop is next door to Umberto's. Leone offers stock much like Umberto's and at lower prices, which has brought plenty of customers into his store, causing Umberto no small amount of annoyance. Umberto's ire is hardly soothed by the fact that his teenage son Paolo (Elio Germano) is dating Leone's daughter, Susanna (Gioia Spaziani), or that the two men's younger sons, Pietruccio (Walter Dragonetti) and Lele (Simone Ascani), are best friends. The rivalry between the two shopkeepers eventually leads to a heated public argument, in which Umberto refers to Leone's Jewish faith in a derogatory manner. A policeman overhears this, and Leone, who had previously been quiet about his Jewish heritage, soon finds himself having to deal with the sanctions being levied against Jewish citizens. As Umberto sees his neighbor slowly stripped of his property, his rights, and his dignity, his anger turns to sympathy and to a wish that he could do something to help a man not so different from himself. Concorrenza Sleale was directed by Ettore Scola, who previously examined Italy during Mussolini's rule in Una Giornata Speciale. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This take-off on the soccer mania that is a part of Italian life centers on the comic presence of its star Diego Abatantuono who plays three different lead roles in the three "acts" that make up the film. In the first story, Donato (Abatantuono) is an out-of-work southerner trying to find his way in the north when he gets into disagreements with a bunch of soccer fans that are against his own, native team. In the next skit, Franco Abatantuono deserts his family, his home, his wife -- everyone -- when he finds out he has won the soccer lottery (he guessed the winning team), and he goes to celebrate at the most expensive hotel he can find. His celebrations are cut short, however, when his friends show up with some unexpected news. In the last story, Abatantuono plays Tirzan, a truck driver who borrows a truck from a friend to be able to get to a big match in Belgium, and then his borrowed truck is stolen in Paris -- should he try to make the match anyway? With Abatantuono's natural ability to chew up northern Italian with a southern dialect, the comic characters take on additional comedic dimensions. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Four popular Italian comedians (Adriano Celentano, Carlo Verdone, Enrico Montesano, and Diego Abantantuono), at the time this film was shot, play characters who either work in or visit a large hotel. Each comedian reprises some of the roles or attitudes that made him famous in a series of connected vignettes. Unfortunately, the supposedly comic treatment of women and one black bellhop carry enough outmoded gender and racial stereotypes to offend more than a few viewers. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The dialogue and content in this film about gangs and their internal turmoil are geared to a young, teenage audience. The setting is Milan, and four brothers from the south of Italy have lined up against the local gang. The southerners are headed by Felice (Diego Abatantuono), the eldest of the brothers, a braggadocio who is overly-protective of his younger sister Giulietta (Simona Mariani) -- but then he has to be, since the brothers and one sister have no father to care for them. Of course, Giulietta has a mind of her own and when she meets the leader of the rival gang, romantic sparks fly. Felice will have none of this heresy, and so a battle of wills begins between brother and sister that may resolve more than just her love life. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Popular comic actor Diego Abatantuono headlines this lively comedy that follows the adventures of a small-town barber from Italy who one day spontaneously heads for Rio de Janeiro to see his estranged sister. Life there is bewilderingly busy and colorful and the simple barber has many riotous adventures there. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this light comedy based on a play by Aldo de Benedetti from the 1950s, Princess Lucia (Monica Vitti) is miffed that her husband, Prince Giulio (Philippe Leroy is single-mindedly focused on his race horses to the point that he is ignoring her. She decides to find out if he really does love her by convincing her bodyguard to pose as her lover - if her husband gets jealous, then he must care a little anyway. This seems like a fine plan until her bodyguard's girlfriend shows up unexpectedly, creating a few tight situations. Prince Giulio finally sees green through his equine-induced haze, and now all the Princess has to do is straighten out any misunderstandings. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

This feel-good movie, which offers American audiences spectacular views of Central European landscapes, uses gentle humor to tell the story of two common men who place themselves in an uncommon situation. Franco, a recently laid-off co-op stud farmer whose company jilted him out of his settlement money, returns to break into the main offices to look for proof that he was wronged. Instead he ends up stealing their prize bull Corinto with the thought of selling Corinto for a great profit in Hungary. Franco enlists the aid of his quiet friend Loris. Together the three set off on their obstacle-filled journey. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Directed by Marcello Cesena, Mari del Sud (Our Tropical Island) follows a dysfunctional family whose idea of concealing their bankruptcy from friends and family is hiding in the basement of their palatial home while they're presumed to be vacationing. The basement is a disgusting place to live; rat-infested and stocked only with pickled vegetables, trips to the supermarket and attempts to counter their meddling neighbors become full-scale commando operations. As the situation snowballs, the family is unwittingly pushed into a catharsis which will bring them together in a way they hadn't thought possible. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Matrimony is a drama about the complexity of relationships. On Christmas Eve, perfect housewife Giulia ($Francesca Neri is worried about a family heirloom which has cracked and rushes to the junk shop to get it repaired -- little anticipating her perfect marriage is about to fall to pieces as well. While everyone in Bologna is making last minute preparations, Giulia runs into her childhood sweetheart, Fausto Paolo Sassanelli. The meeting rekindles old feelings and Giulia realizes that to create the perfect marriage which everyone adores, she has sacrificed her own personality. While waiting to meet her parents at the station, she climbs into a departing train and disappears. The family slowly disintegrates, as if she were the binding element. Cristina Comencini, the daughter of well-known Italian director Luigi Comencini, has written several scripts for her father before launching her own film career in 1988. Matrimoni is also scripted by her, and based on an idea by her and Roberta Mazzoni. It is definitely a woman's film, which tries examine complex feelings of women caught between familial responsibility and individuality. Matrimoni was screened as part of the Panorama section of the 49th International Berlin Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide