Italian Movies To Watch!

Learning Italian, or any language for that matter, isn’t just about learning grammar or vocabulary. You also need to work on your listening skills, which is important when conversing with native speakers. It’s one of the harder things to do at first, because when reading or doing exercises you have time to think, re-read or review what you are doing but, when speaking with native speakers, it’s much more instant. In order to respond you need to be able to understand what you hear. So, developing an ear for the language is definitely important when it comes to perfecting or learning a language.

In Canada, I didn’t have many opportunities to speak with native Italian speakers, so I had to turn to other resources to practice listening and understanding the Italian language.

I’d always listened to Italian music growing up, but as much as lyrics are a great way to learn vocabulary, I don’t feel they really prepare you for everyday conversations.

So, I turned to Italian movies.

The important thing when choosing a movie to practice listening and comprehension, is that it can’t be too complex or complicated. I have always found comedies and romance films tend to be pretty easy to follow.

Here are three films in different genres that I think would be enjoyable to watch while you are learning Italian.

Italian movies

Benvenuti al Sud (Comedy, 2010)

This film, a sort of remake of a French film called “Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis”, pokes fun at the stereotypical differences between the north and south of Italy. A supervisor for a post office in a small Northern town caves into his wife’s constant demands of wanting him to get a more prestigious position in Milan. He pretends to be disabled to aid him in getting a transfer only it backfires and as punishment, he’s sent to a small town in southern Italy. He leaves his family to head to the “wild” south and his prejudices are soon put to the test. This movie is very funny and endearing.

Perfetti Sconosciuti (Drama, 2016)

I saw this movie in the theater when it was first released. The story intrigued me a lot and it did not disappoint. The movie takes place at a dinner party among seven friends made up of three married couples and a divorcee. During their meal, they decide to share their cellphone messages and calls in an attempt to prove that they had nothing to hide. Well, as it turns out, they find themselves to be perfect strangers to each other as everyone’s secrets are slowly unveiled to everyone’s surprise.

italian movies

Il Peggior Natale Della Mia Vita (Christmas, 2012)

This is a follow-up to “IlPeggior Settimana Della Mia Vita” whose main character, Paolo, is an incurable disaster. This film takes place a year after the first film and Paolo and his wife are expecting their first child. Paolo, his wife, and his in-laws are invited to spend the holidays in a castle. His father-in-law, who is up for a promotion, fears Paolo will ruin the opportunity for him. A series of funny misadventures create one of the most unforgettable Christmas holidays ever!

Movies are a fun and entertaining way to learn a language. Have you ever tried watching movies or TV shows to improve your language learning skills? Have you seen any of these films?

I’m also curious to know what your favourite Italian film is. Let me know in the comments below!

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Italian movies

LuLu

Originally from Toronto but currently living in Calabria, blogging about my life and love for all things Italian!

Lucy and Kelly
December 1, 2018 at 9:57 am

We couldn’t agree more with this. We had been practicing loads last year, but when we went to Italy, hearing everyone speak so fast and trying to process what they were saying, then trying to answer was a whole different ball game. We watched a lot of Italian shows and movies last year thanks to Giulio Berruti – have you heard of him? – but we definitely need to watch more. We’re very out of practice now and have let it slip. We will have to look into these movies! 🙂 Thank you for sharing!

Lucy and Kelly xx
theblossomtwins.com
1. LuLu
  December 2, 2018 at 8:30 am
  
  You are definitely right, watching films is much different than conversing in real-time. I remember when I first moved here, I’d end the day with a splitting headache and complete mental exhaustion. Thankfully that’s not the case anymore, but now my problem is not realizing what language I’m speaking when I open my mouth! hahaha I have heard of Giulio Berruti – he’s done a number of TV Mini-Series in Italy. Do you have an Italian TV channel where you live that allows you to watch Italian shows?
Kelly
November 11, 2018 at 2:30 am

Ciao Lulu! I love these Italian film recommendations, especially the Christmas one because I’m already in the spirit! I need to figure out where to watch them in the U.S. (I was hoping Netflix had them, but no luck!). I’m going to keep looking! If anything, I will definitely watch them next time I’m in Italy. 🙂
1. LuLu
  November 16, 2018 at 10:22 am
  
  I saw all of these in the theater and every year they are on TV – so I’ve actually watched them a number of times. If I find out where you can watch them, I’ll definitely let you know! Now that it’s getting cooler, we are already thinking about which movies we want to catch at the cinema! 🙂
Image Earth Travel
November 10, 2018 at 8:21 pm

Great review!
I first saw ‘Benvenuti al Sud’ at our friends’ place when we arrived in Cosenza. I find the accent and dialects from Naples harder to understand and this movie portrays the differences beautifully, whilst still being witty. Will have to keep an eye out for the others…
1. LuLu
  November 16, 2018 at 10:28 am
  
  The dialects do take some getting used to! Let me know if you managed to catch the other ones – I’ll let you know if I notice they are on TV…now is the time of year where they show lots of movies on TV.
Lynette
November 9, 2018 at 3:59 pm

Thank you for these suggestions! I enjoyed Pane e Tulipani so much i bought it a few years ago. It’s time to watch it again! ; ) I will look for these above, as well.
1. LuLu
  November 16, 2018 at 10:29 am
  
  I don’t think I’ve ever seen Pane e Tulipani….I’ll have to check it out! 🙂
KareninCalabria
November 8, 2018 at 9:51 pm

I love watching Italian movies and when I was learning, I didn’t miss a current episode and I watched all the back episodes available of the soap opera “Un posto al sole.” As for your list, “Benvenuti al Sud” is one of my favorites – a definite laugh out loud comedy! I wasn’t as crazy about “Perfetti Sconosciuti, ” I guess, because it was one uncomfortable realization after another. I’ll have to try and find the Christmas comedy you mention. My addition to your list would be all the comedies of Checco Zalone – funny with a message. Buona visione!
1. LuLu
  November 16, 2018 at 10:33 am
  
  I always watch “Un Posto Al Sole” while having dinner! When I first moved here it was one of the few programs I found easy enough to follow. It took some time but now I’m quite proud to say I can follow some of the more complex TV Series that are similar to the programs I used to watch back in Canada.