Avanti! (1972)

Directed by

Billy Wilder

Genre

drama film, comedy film, romantic comedy film

Country

Italy, United States

Runtime

2h 24m

Rated

R

Rating

6.9 of 10 from 268 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A strait-laced American businessman goes to Italy to retrieve his father's body. There he discovers his father died on holiday with his mistress, and he forms an unexpected bond with the mistress's daughter.

wryromanticleisurelywarmly comicbittersweetsunnycharminglighthearted

What happens

Avanti! (Italian interjection – 'come in!'; Italian: Che cosa è successo tra mio padre e tua madre?, lit. 'What Happened Between My Father and Your Mother?') is a 1972 comedy film produced and directed by Billy Wilder, and starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills. The screenplay by Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond is based on Samuel A. Taylor's play, which had a short run for the 1968 Broadway season. The film follows an American businessman attempting to recover the body of his father from Italy, only to learn his seemingly-straightlaced father died alongside his mistress. The film was an international co-production between the United States and Italy, and was co-produced by Wilder and Diamond's Phalanx Productions and Lemmon's Jalem Productions. Filming took place at various locations in Campania in Southern Italy, including the island of Ischia, Sorrento, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast. Avanti was released in the United States by United Artists on December 17, 1972. Lemmon's performance earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy—who set a record by winning his third Golden Globe in this particular category. The film was nominated in five other categories, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Director (Wilder), and Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical (Mills). (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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