One of Dino Risi's favorite "babies", "Il Giovedi" is a film that has long been considered inferior in its author's filmography by most critics. At the time of its release, they viewed it as a letdown, particularly in comparison with "Il sorpasso". Much less caustic than this recent masterpiece, too soft for the worshipers of Dino-the-slayer- of-the-mediocre", played by an actor (Walter Chiari) who was no Gassman (but could Gassman really be in ALL of the Italian comedies of the time?), this movie was, in their eyes, a roadway departure to forget. But the perception of the film is in the process of changing. "Il giovedi", a small gem, now clear of its alleged flaws, is quite rightly being reappraised, more soundly at any rate than four decades ago. Today's audiences and critics do the right thing by judging it for what it is (the reconquest of his son by a divorced father) rather than for what it is not (a rehash of "Il sorpasso" with a second-hand Gassman lookalike). Which does not mean that "Il Giovedi" is not related to 'Il sorpasso" in any way. After all, Dino Risi is an auteur and it should come as no surprise that there are constants in his oeuvre. In "Il giovedi" you will of course meet a voluble macho showoff in company with a younger, more sensible creature (which will be the case again in the excellent "Profumo di donna"); there will be unity of time (the Feast of Assumption in "Il sorpasso"; one Thursday during the school year in "Il Giovedi") and of place (most of the action unfurls in a sports car in Rome and its region in both films). But "Il giovedi" has its singularities, the main one being that here Mr. Big Mouth, instead of being beyond redemption and paying a high price for his sins like in "Il sorpasso", is made to experience an epiphany. Which is precisely the main cause for dissatisfaction of those who regard Risi as the "arch monster buster". Sorry guys but Dino also has a heart (a terrible defect indeed!). Moreover when he displays emotion, he has the knack for doing it with a welcome restraint. Of course a film signed Risi just cannot be a tearjerker, "Il giovedi" is even most of the time cruel to its main character. Nevertheless, unlike in "Il sorpasso", the characters (a thoughtless father and his son, too mature for his age) evolve and eventually grow close to each other. The surprise is that those diametrically opposed characters gradually discover that their personalities are complementary: the bad boy side in Dino (the character bearing the same name as the director...) appeals to Robertino, who risks missing out on his childhood while his own wisdom may help (who knows?) this good-for-nothing more inclined to lie and to boast than to face up to reality. And even if Robertino's influence does not basically change his father in the future, this particular Thursday will have been an enchanted break in both their imperfect lives. No, "Il giovedi" is not a cheap "Sorpasso", it is a different film that plays its own tune. No, Walter Chiari is not the poor man's Gassman, he is perfect in the role of the father. No, Dino Risi has not become cheesy: you can see this fine mix of cruelty and tenderness on trust. It is worth an hour and a half of your time.
