Preferisco il paradiso

like many Catholic films. the surprise is the performance of Gigi Proietti. convincing, touching, seductive. inspired translation of the life of Filippo Neri , using the humor, the gentle intentions and gestures, the definition of the mission of the Church in admirable web of faith and humanitarianism. a film about the sense of life. out of complicated definitions, naive in many scenes but lovely. and good occasion for remind the essence of Cristianity. a series who could be useful. not only for the religious public but for the searchers of joy. for a special form of entertainment, wise, clear, interested to give a better sense of life and reality. so, beautiful.

It's a film quite theatrical in style and acting, with some moments that fall into clichés... but it's a good film The first half of the film is excellent, with a strong focus on the protagonist, who stands out as the most charismatic character. He is extremely captivating and brilliantly portrayed by Gigi Foiretti. The second half of the film attempts to delve deeper into the plots of the other characters, but the lengthy runtime makes this section feel somewhat drawn out.

The film is deeply moving, touching the audience naturally without being heavy-handed. It avoids pretension, delivering exactly what it promises. Although it lacks grand cinematic flair, it compellingly narrates the story of a saint, which in itself is poignant. Consequently, it required a narration that did justice to the story, and it successfully achieves that.

Inspired by the life of Saint Philip Neri, the film is not biographical, and ends up mixing many facts from the life of the main character, in addition to inventing many others.

Just one example: when he went to Rome, Felipe Neri was in his twenties, and he was not a priest yet; the film gives another idea.

It is a nice film, it presents a positive image of the saint who became known for his joy and good humor, but for those who want to know his life effectively, it is better to read a biography.

Gigi Proietti" perfectly embodies what I know of St. Phillip Neri.( that was my high school parish name). This has the best english dubbing, I have ever heard. ( I usually watch in Italian with English subtitles). The relationship between the saint and the children he serves is absolutely engaging and when they sing before the pope you will fall in love with him as well as the children. It's no wonder this song is sung everywhere in Italy. Even if the movie was not good it would be worth watching for this one song. I have been humming/singing it ( in Italian) ever since!

I usually watch violent films such as Pulp Fiction and the like and so this is a huge departure for me. Even with six years of early Catholic school education I was not aware of this saint. The story is an uplifting one and the entire cast is excellent. The story is inspiring even for non believers like myself. The movie made me want to believe but here we are in June of 2020 with the world on fire and no end in site. Even so, I can highly recommend this moving film.