This movie is an excellent comedy that takes the hot button issue of stereotypes and prejudice and presents both sides of the conflict. It does not step on any toes and does not offend anyone in my opinion. Even scenes where offensive terminology is used, I feel like overall it doesn't impede the message in the film or target anyone in particular. This is especially important in the first scene I am going to talk about, which is the scene where Alberto talks to the other academy members about the south.
This scene's main purpose is to show some of the stereotypes that the northerners make about the south in order to give some context to the viewer. This context is important because without it we would not understand why Alberto does not want to be transferred to the south. This scene also exaggerates the line of thinking a bit in my opinion. It almost makes a mockery of the people perpetuating the stereotypes. This might be considered offensive because it paints northerners as prejudiced people who won't ever change. However, this is quickly challenged as we see Alberto actually start to enjoy the south, which brings me to my next point.
The simple fact that he starts to enjoy the south tells me that the movie is trying to convey the message that sometimes all that is needed to change someone's biases is to have them experience the culture/place that they are biased against. It is trying to say that people in the north have the capacity to move past their own prejudices. This is how the movie manages to skirt the line of being offensive into being a good comedy. By bringing aspects from both sides of the conflict, the film shows that it is possible to have unity. It also shows this symbolically at the end of the film.
The final aspect I want to cover is the symbolism at the end of the film. At the end of the film, Alberto and Silvia get back together as well as Mattia and Maria. The key thing to note here is that Alberto and Silvia are northerners and Mattia and Maria are southerners. The fact that they are getting back together makes me think that this moment symbolizes the ideal world that the film maker wants where the divide between the north and south of Italy are able to come together again.
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