Io & Marilyn

As I have said before, one of the great tragedies of American cinema is how few Italian films are ever translated or at least subtitled. So I don't know how many of the films I recommend you will actually be able to watch. But even if it isn't available in English, watching them in Italian with Italian subtitles can also be a very valuable language learning tool. So even if you're not entirely sure what they're talking about, give it a shot anyway. It might give you a better appreciation for body language, which, luckily, the Italians use plenty of!

My first recommendation was actually on TV here last night, Io & Marilyn. Which I'm sure nearly everyone can guess means "Me & Marilyn".

Gualtiero Marchesi (played by Leonardo Pieraccioni, a popular comedy actor), recovering from a recent divorce, timidly joins some friends in an impromptu séance and unwittingly summons the spirit of Marilyn Monroe. Naturally he thinks he's lost his mind and immediately enrolls in group therepy where he meets Arnolfo, a recovering stalker, who is the only one to believe that Gualtiero can see Marilyn (and then proves it by executing a complicated test involving a lot of champagne, speeding in reverse, and a traffic camera).

Meanwhile, Gualtiero has to put up with the constant company of a very interfering Marilyn, who proceeds to convince him that he still has a shot at winning back his wife.

The acting is hilarious in this film, and the dialogue is lightened a bit with some classic slapstick humor that should make anyone laugh even if you don't know Italian.

Below is one of our favorite scenes, in which three circus performers accidentally send a helium tank blasting through the circus tent. In the final line of dialogue, after the ex-wife complains about how late he's bringing their daughter home, he squeaks "Fine, we're a bit late, but was it really necessary to bomb us?"

Please let me know if the link doesn't work for viewers in the U.S.