Even though bitter and farcical this movie confirmed me that Italian movie making talent has not died with Fellini, Risi e De Sica.
The tone, a bit nostalgic, a bit desperate, a bit surreal reminded me of these masters, the stories are still the same, the characters more detailed, more contemporary but the exasperation and farcical tone are pushed further than was once allowed by the more of the times.
The actors are top notch, there are very few who can act like them in the movies produced in Italy now. They make the movie work more than anything. Villaggio is a pompous Metre D' who has bored everybody with his stories of a glorious past; Abatantuono is the romantic slacking waiter always trying a new scheme to get rich; Messeri is a hound-dog faced waiter who had to abandon his talented harmonium playing and now sleeps in the restaurant's kitchen homeless ; Salimbeni is a young man who idealizes the waiters' profession - he will come to age to the realities of the job: these and other stereotypical characters perfectly represent the chaotic events taking place in a beach restaurant (Fellini's reference is heavy handed here) on a day that is most important that all goes smoothly but you can foresee that it won't.
The movie paints the Italian society without mercy, as composed of people with money and no class; people without money and no conscience; people without future and no fear of losing their dignity. Affluence allows the guests to sadistically abuse the workers, but it is not better in the kitchen between coworkers. The movie is about revenge from the ills of reality , the injustices and disappointments of life. From society's (relatively speaking) higher rungs to the bottom, it's dog eats dog, each abusing the other to protest or react to previous abuses. The movie scrapes under the many layers of varnish that is coating the Italian society (but it can be applied to others) exposing a cruel bitter reality, despite the ending.
