Pinocchio

Although far from a great film, this is certainly not the worst thing I've ever seen. I saw without prejudice and enjoyed it although I did find it full of oddities. I was very surprised when I looked it up afterwards and saw all the hate being spewed out, which is why I felt I should write this review. Sure it has some curious ideas such as: The boy Pinocchio played by a 50 year old man. Actually once you get over his age, he puts in a playful joyful performance which reminded me of Danny Kaye at times.

Bad dubbing. Not much can be said in defence of this, but the voices used, such as John Cleese and Glen Close are appropriate in themselves, it is just the bad syncing that is annoying.

Some rather cheap-looking special effects. This could certainly have been better but it is sad that people can no longer use their imaginations.

As said, these detract from an honest attempt to remake the children's classic. But why the hate? As many have said, I think that this is a much less sentimentalised version of the Disney, closer to the original story and some have taken against it.

All in all, children of all ages will enjoy this film and probably learn some valuable life lessons from it. See for yourself and make u your own mind.

First a warning - do not watch the dubbed release of this film - it's terrible. Watch the original Italian version with English subtitles - it makes all the difference in the world. Visually stunning while only partially flawed by Benigni's casting of himself in the lead role (you have to like him to like the movie), this film is wildly entertaining - more in the vain of Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausenthan the Disney classic Pinocchio.

nice. but not convincing. beautiful. but not enough. amusing. only for few sequences. touching. for good intentions. its sin - each viewer has his image of Pinocchio. and this image is very and deep different by Benigni work. his ambition to create the Collodi legendary character is far to be inspired. it is silly and too strange. because, unfortunately, it is not a joke but a movie , not a parody but adaptation of a great book. sure, poor Benigni is innocent. but his innocence, his desire to do a good work remains a failure. not for acting but for mixture between costumes, delicate images and his old humor recipes. he is saboteur of his labor. explanation - no measure of ingredients and the sparkles of ridiculous. but it is an exercise. not catastrophic. only very far by expectations.

I am so relieved to finally watch a movie that tells the story along the lines as it was originally told rather than rewriting it and watering it down or sugar coating it to make it more acceptable for those who can't take dark situations from a child's story. This movie, with its sets, not-so-mind-blowingly-overdone effects, and layout makes it a very charming retelling of the classic tale, though I have sadly seen the horribly done dubbed version and wish to see the subtitled one instead. People would be turned off seeing grown men playing as boys, especially by Roberto Benigni playing the titular character... however, once you watch it, you can see how well they play the part, giving the whole movie a rather different kind of charm where grownups play boys. I find it sad that this charming movie is bashed and even nominated a Razzie just because they only minded the dubbing or the fact it's nothing like the Disney movie. Give this movie a chance and watch it in a different way if you are truly an aficionado for the classic tale; you will then really love this film.

First off, I saw the Italian version of Pinocchio, subtitled in English. After watching the Italian version on DVD, we decided to switch to the English-language track to hear what it sounded like. It was like fingernails on a chalkboard...As unprofessional as watching a dubbed Godzilla movie.

Anyway, after hearing all the incredibly negative press about this film, I'm not sure why we rented it. But when my family got a free rental, we decided to choose a movie that we wouldn't actually pay money for...and we chose Pinocchio. First of all, the movie is certainly not an excellent, 5 star affair. But it is a decent film that entertained the three of us for close to two hours. Strong Points- Technically speaking, the film is beautifully made with beautiful sets, cinematography and scenery. These are not enough to entertain anybody but the most pompous film critic of course. The best part of the film for me, was the very faithful adaptation of the original classic story (foolish American audiences may say too dark...and yes, I am an American). It brought back fond memories for all of us, of the original story we had enjoyed as children. And Kim Rossi Stuart as the doomed Lucignolo (not Leonardo) is charming. Weak Points- Well, as many commenters have noted, Roberto Benigni is simply miscast in the role of Pinocchio and the sight of a 50-year old man playing a little boy does get annoying. But even so, he's not half as bad as they say he is. All in all, it's an entertaining, if average, film as long as you have the brain cells to read the subtitles. Just a quick trivia note....one of the reasons the English dubbing is so bad (in my opinion) is that it was incredibly rushed. Benigni was supposed to dub his own voice, but dropped out at the last minute and was replaced my Breckin Meyer. By this time, the US release date was fast approaching, the film was directed at a childrens audience and the studio felt it couldnt release a childrens movie with subtitles. *** 1/4 stars.