Divorce, Italian Style

In a way, one can almost support Ferdinando (Marcello Mastroianni) during his plight of trying to dispose his wife. Can you blame him? His wife has become too overbearing after twenty years, and now he wants someone else in her place.

But alas, there is one tiny problem. Divorce doesn't exist in Italy. So what does Ferdinando think of? The next best thing: murder. Well, not exactly murdering her in cold blood. Something more complex.

Throughout Divorce, Italian Style, we watch Ferdinando plan out every small detail in getting rid of his wife. (He even imagines what his lawyer will say at his trial.) If one thing goes wrong, the whole ploy will fall apart.

What makes Divorce, Italian Style so witty is its script. It's laced with lines worthy of a Billy Wilder film. Ferdinando's observations on life and the society he's in shows he's bored with both, and longs for some change.

Divorce, Italian Style is a very amusing film. Mastroianni, whom I knew previously from weightier films (8 1/2, La Dolce Vita, Le notti bianche), is fun to watch. In all honesty, had Mastroianni not been in it and the script wasn't good, Divorce, Italian Style just wouldn't have worked.

My Rating: *****