Pinocchio apparently isn’t the only one who wants to be a real boy. At age 50, Roberto Benigni is perhaps more suited to play the grandfatherly Gepetto than the marionette whose nose grows when he lies. But to give him his due, Benigni’s best performances have always been touched with childlike wonder, and if anyone his age can pull this off, he can. This live-action version, also directed by Benigni, hews closer to Carlo Collodi’s original book than the Disney version more of us are familiar with. Kids might find it hard to get past the subtitles, but Benigni’s forte is physical comedy, and we’re guessing that most of Pinocchio’s action will transcend any language barrier. The film might be a harder sell with grownups. Judging by Benigni’s flower-patterned white clown outfit, anyone who found him insufferably cloying in Life Is Beautiful should make other plans.
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