The story of the actor Jan Jönson has caught the attention, on seeing him getting the job as teacher in a theater workshop at a penitentiary institute in the 80s, to have lately decided to stage the notorious play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett with five inmates out of the prison, and the result comes out a success as they kept doing it until an unexpected conclusion happens. Indeed Jönson's story has been told first in the Swedish movie Vägen Ut by Daniel Lind Lagerlöf, and then in the documentary Les Prisonniers de Beckett by Michka Saäl. Through the documentary by Michka Saäl, the filmmaker Emmanuel Courcoul has made the French movie Un triomphe, which has been a huge success for the audience and the critics. Then the filmmaker Riccardo Milani seems interested to direct the remake of the movie Un Triomphe, by maintaining the main basis of the story while changing some elements, including to turn it into an Italian film. The director even calls the actor Antonio Albanese, as they have worked with each other several times, to be the main character. In 2023 came out Grazie ragazzi by Riccardo Milani, with Antonio Albanese, Sonia Bergamasco, Vinicio Marchioni, Giacomo Ferrara, Giorgio Montanini, Andrea Lattanzi, and Fabrizio Bentivoglio. The movie's plot: Antonio (Antonio Albanese), a failed but passionate theatre actor, who works as voice actor in porno movies in order to maintain himself economically, gets offered by his old friend and colleague Michele (Fabrizio Bentivoglio), the job as a teacher in a theater workshop at a penitentiary institute. Antonio eventually accepts the job, even though he is skeptical about it, until he sees the opportunity to get five inmates and staging out of the prison the notorious play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. Since the announcement of the movie, the audience and the critics have been curious about how the story will come out differently from the movie Un Triomphe, while maintaining the main basis of the story. Indeed, the movie has become a surprising one that tells an extraordinary story, by balancing the humor and drama with a touch of realism without distorting its narration, especially in the most essential moments of the movie. The production designer Marta Maffucci created the settings to have a natural look, by showing the feelings of the main characters, whenever there are some of the funniest moments as well as the most emotional one to be unforgettably impactful. The costume designer Francesca Renda has elaborated the costumes to have a specific look by using the simplest elements, to be enough effective on how the main characters will be shown during the stage as well as out of it. The director of photography Saverio Guarna has captured the humor and the drama, in every camera movements and in every angle shots needed for the story to be shown, making some of the scenes as well as sequences of the story unforgettable. The editors Patrizia Ceresani and Francesco Renda have created the narration's rhythm of the movie that balances the humor and the drama without distorting the final result; in the same way, to see how the characters development evolves from the beginning to the end, by showing unexpected surprises. The score by Andrea Guerra has been elaborated to create specific musical notes, by letting the audience and the critics feel the humor and the drama from the beginning to the end of the story, without distorting melodically its rhythm, especially when the main characters are facing in some of the most specific moments of the story. Antonio Albanese did an extraordinary performance as Antonio, a failed but passionate theater actor who accepts to be the teacher in a theater workshop at a penitentiary institute, once he takes the opportunity to stage Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett with five inmates out of the prison, he will then see something that surprises him enough to make him even more passionate about it. Sonia Bergamasco did an excellent performance as Laura, the head of detention who initially does not really believe at the idea of Antonio to stage the play Waiting for Godot out of the prison, as she does not want to have any kind of dangerous risks with the prison inmates, but then she will see the unexpected surprises without letting her guard down. Vinicio Marchioni did a well done performance as Diego, one of main prison inmate who takes part of Waiting for Godot stage, even he is known for being particularly dangerous to have bad reputation, he will eventually show to be much more vulnerable than what he might want to show. Giacomo Ferrara did an excellent performance as Aziz, the prison inmate of Libyan origin who also takes part of Waiting for Godot stage, since then he and the rest of the prison inmates will show to have an enormous satisfaction to accomplish something special that is beyond than what they could have imagine. Giorgio Montanini did a well done performance as Mignolo, a prison inmate who is the funniest character among the inmates of Waiting for Godot stage to have even a goofy girlfriend that is impressed by his talent. Andrea Lattanzi did an excellent performance as Diamiano, a prison inmate who initially stutters when it comes to memorize one of the most difficult monologues of the stage, until he changes to recite the monologue perfectly and be even feel much more confident with himself. Fabrizio Bentivoglio did a well done performance as Michele, the old friend and colleague of Antonio who gives him the job of being a teacher of theater workshop at a penitentiary institute, he is initially skeptical when Antonio proposes the idea of staging out of the prison Waiting for Godot, until he sees how it comes out to be even more helpful and supportive to Antonio. Grazie ragazzi is an excellent movie, which balances the humor and drama with a touch of realism, to surprise the audience and the critics from the beginning to the end.
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