How sad is this?

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Black comedy set world war two with some botcher and coward soldiers masterfully played by Alberto Sordi , Serge Reggniani , Martin Balsam , Nino Castelnuovo , among others . All of them helped to launch the genre of Commedia all'Italiana ("comedy Italian-style"). Here Alberto Sordi as the officer who wouldn't fight...until he found the enemy . They both attempting a great number of schemes to get out for fighting and working and return home . When is signed the armistice by Mariscal Badoglio , there takes place the Nazi occupation . It is estimated that between September 1943 and April 1945, some 60,000 Allied and 50,000 German soldiers died in Italy . In the West, no other campaign cost more than Italy in terms of lives lost and wounds suffered by infantry forces of both sides, during bitter small-scale fighting around strong points at Winter positions, Anzio girth and Gothic Line . Then , there occurs a real chaos , as military trying go home . All of them try in every way to avoid serving the army but their circumstance dictates otherwise , as the destiny make them meeting again . As our main protagonists (Alberto Sordi and Serge Reggiani) find themselves in the mists of German front , much against their will . But war is getting everyday closer and unfortunately, they fall in the hands of a stiff enemy during Nazi occupied Italy . ¨Tutti a Casa¨ is hell at its hottest , men at their mightiest , the screen at its greatest! This is an amusing Commedia all'Italiana about some rogues called to serve the army in the WWI , as the Italian Army fought against the Allied during World War II ; however , when it happens capitulation , one part army joins Allied and another unites Fascist forces . Being excellently re-enacted by including movements of large numbers of soldiers during battle frames that are well come-to-life . This is a zany Tragicomedy seeing the misfit group in all kinds of troubles involving Italian Army . This entertaining Alberto Sordi recital provides too much amusement in detailing the exploits of a band of Italian soldiers in the wartime front . Slightly muddled but generally nice performed dealing with a team of makeshift soldiers , which owed much of its success to the brilliant comic characterisations . Lots of comedy and hilarious dialog , including some spectacular battles with loads of extras provided by actual Italian infantry . The film relies heavily on the continuous relationship between Albert Sordi and Serge Reggiani , but it doesn't makes tiring , neither dull but entertaining . Very good Italian support cast such as Martin Balsam , Alex Nicol , Mario Feliciani , Claudio Gora , Carlo D'Angelo and the veteran Eduardo De Filippo . Special mention for Carla Gravina as the Jewish girl who falls in love for Nino Castelnuovo . The main premise results to be two bungler as well as reluctant soldiers who under twisted circumstances turn into heroes . ¨Tutti a Casa¨ bears remarkable resemblance to "La Grande Guerra" or "The Great War" (1959) , set in WWI , by Mario Monicelli with Alberto Sordi , Vittorio Gassman , Silvana Mangano , Folco Lulli . Both of them share same starring , producer Dino De Laurentiis and screen-writers : Agenore Incrocci also known as ¨Age¨ and ¨Scarpelli¨ (Sergio Leone's usual writers) , they were Italy's most respected and prolific screenwriters who wrote touching , hilarious and amusing scripts . Two of Italy's leading satirical screenwriters , worked on the scripts of about 140 films and enjoyed a lengthy writing partnership , from 1949 until 1985 ,sometimes without a credit , and received three shared Oscar nominations , for I Compagni (The Organiser, 1963), Casanova '70 (1965) and Il Postino (1994) . The pair collaborated on the 1958 successful film I Soliti Ignoti (Big Deal on Madonna Street) .Imaginative as well as sensitive original Music by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino , conducted by ordinary Franco Ferrara . Evocative and atmospheric cinematography by Carlo Carlini . The motion picture was very well directed by Luigi Comencini who gets to capture the same period feeling during the WWII . Comencini was born in Salò , Lombardy, Italy . He was a director and writer, who directed a lot of comedies and dramas , and his films often focused on the plight of children . He was a film critic before becoming a director . Luigi was one of the founders of the Cineteca Italiana , the first film archive in Italy . Being specially known for Cercasi Gesù (1982) , Traffic Jam (1979) , Casanova : His youthful years , The Sunday woman , El Commissario , Till marriage do us part , Don Camilo , Bread , love and dreams (1953) , Frisky , and several others . Rating : Above average . Well worth watching . Essential and indispensable seeing

After finding the 2014 War film Fury to be rather disappointing,I decided to not set foot on the battle field for a while,but found my plans to quickly change,when I noticed that a DVD seller had tracked down a War film which I had seen be highly praised by fellow IMDbers,which led to me once again getting ready to enter a war zone.The plot-Italy-1943:Listening to the radio,a small army unit led by Lt. Alberto Innocenzi finds out that Italy has decided to leave the Axis behind,and has just signed an armistice with the Allies.Before getting a chance to make sense of what has taken place,German troops invade Innocenzi's base.Getting covered with gunfire from their former Axis partner,Innocenzi and his men escape from the base.Finding themselves without any order of command,Innocenzi and his former troop each decide to try and make the long journey home,but soon discover that war has become the new home for them and the country.View on the film:Placing Innocenzi and his men in the cross-hairs of Italy's sudden armistice,the screenplay by co-writer/(along with..deep breath! Agenore Incrocci/ Furio Scarpelli & Marcello Fondato)director Luigi Comencini battles with the crossing of a tense War Drama with Comedy.Staying on the edge that the infamous (and never seen!) Jerry Lewis movie The Day the Clown Cried fell off,the writers take a very smart,mature approach to the comedic elements,with the very funny comedy moments coming from Innocenzi and his former troop finding themselves free from taking any orders,but not from the unfolding horror of War that they find themselves in,which are loosely based on the WWII events that took place in Italy in 1943.As they all try to return home,the writers brilliantly increase the dramatic tension of the title at a gradual pace,with Innocenzi finding out that his real family is his soldiers,as the worn-down Innocenzi is told by family members that he must continue to back the fascist forces.Opening with German troops overrunning an army base, Comencini and cinematographer Carlo Carlini give the action scenes a thrilling bite with excellent,vast wide shots which put the viewer right in the midst of the action,and bullets fly pass Innocenzi makes his journey home.Keeping the tension building off the battlefield,Comencini uses closely-held tracking shots to reveal the close friendship between Innocenzi and his former troop.Stopping fellow Comedy actor Nino Manfredi from getting a role, (which led to him being the only Comedy actor in the film) Alberto Sordi gives a marvellous performance as Innocenzi,with Sordi showing Innocenzi become increasingly disconnected to the local support for the war,as Sordi makes Innocenzi hard stone face break,due to developing a moral compass for the safe return home of his men.Following Innocenzi every step of the way, Serge Reggiani gives a fantastic performance as Geniere Assunto Ceccarelli,thanks to Reggiani hitting the Comedy with a delightful light touch,which explodes as Reggiani smoothly moves Ceccarelli over being desperate about getting other people safely home from the war.

I saw this film over 50 years ago and I have never forgotten it. It was a minor masterpiece in the full bloom of Italian cinema by independents among others Pietro Germi. 'Tutti a casa' is a comedy about four demobbed cowardly soldiers happy to get out of the war to get home to Naples. While I laughed at the self mockery of the main actors over their cowardice suddenly in the middle of a belly laugh an arresting scene occurs on a train when German soldiers take off a Jewish girl they had been befriending and shoot her off screen.Tragedy in the middle of comedy???? Hard to believe but the touch of genius by the producers of this stunning film got away with it. Our cowardly protagonists get home to Naples just at the same time that the Germans turn on the napolitani for their four day stand off and we see them picking up a gun at the end of a movie. all they ever wanted as delightfully cowardly Napoltani was to go home make love and eat spaghetti. Life and death superbly juggled in a film which opened a deep philosophical synergy in me by an unknown genius

September 8th, 1943: Badoglio, head of the Italian government after the downfall of Mussolini, declares an armistice towards the Allied forces. Thousands of soldiers are left without any order, while king Vittorio Emanuele III packs and runs. In a nation ravaged by war and still occupied by the former German allies, now it's every man for himself.In the early Sixties, Italian cinema was desperately trying to come to terms with the nation's recent, painful mistakes. Tutti a Casa features a selfish, roguish protagonist ultimately finding his moral compass and taking a stand - achieving not victory, but dignity. The same happens in La Grande Guerra, Il Generale Della Rovere, I Due Colonnelli, I Due Nemici, in a valiant - if overly optimistic - attempt to wash the national dirty linen in public.Tutti a Casa is the best of these movies. Monicelli captures with a deft hand and his trademark bittersweet style the adventures of a group of soldiers led by their officer (Alberto Sordi) right after Sep. 8th.Meanwhile, in the same years a new tone emerged in Italian comedies like Il Sorpasso, Divorzio all'Italiana and Una Vita Difficile: in spite of a surprising economic rebirth, a deep-rooted sense of mistrust and disappointment returns, as reaction morphs once again into stagnation. The circle closes with C'Eravamo Tanto Amati, pretty much sealing off any illusion.8/10