Roberto Benigni will always be known for his timeless masterpiece,
Life is Beautiful. But, before he won an Oscar for his touching Holocaust film, he was one of Italy's greatest on-screen comics, while he still continues to act and direct, he has seemed to peak with his 1998 classic. But, in 1991, Begigni released what could be considered one of the funniest films to ever come from Italy --
Johnny Stecchino. The film, which takes place in Palermo, Sicily, is about a two-bit bus driver named Dante (Benigni) who looks like an infamous mob boss, Johnny Stecchino. When Dante meets the bosses wife, she swindles him into switching roles with the boss, so he can plan an escape to Argentina. Unbeknown to Dante, people believe he is actually a mafia kingpin as he plays the role of Stechhino. Between the comedy that only Benigni could master and the crazy plotline that only he could muster up, this is still an enjoyable and hilarious film, 13 years later.
