Life Is Beautiful
When an open-minded Jewish waiter and his son become victims of the Holocaust, he uses a perfect mixture of will, humor and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their camp.
Directed by Roberto Benigni · Comedy · Drama · Romance · 116 min · 1997
Trailer
Director
Roberto Benigni
Writer
Roberto Benigni, Vincenzo Cerami
Studio
Melampo Cinematografica
Release
20 Dec 1997
Runtime
116 min
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Full Plot
In 1930s Italy, a carefree Jewish waiter-turned-bookseller named Guido starts a fairy tale life by courting and marrying a lovely woman teacher named Dora. Guido and Dora have a son named Joshua and live happily together until the forced deportation of the town's Jewish population in cattle cars. Dora, while not required to be deported, volunteers to leave with her family, and they are all forced to live in a concentration camp. In an attempt to hold his family together and help his son survive the horrors of a concentration camp, Guido imagines that the Holocaust is a game and that the grand prize for winning is a tank.
Cast & Characters
Guido Orefice, an Italian-Jewish waiter, later owner of a bookstore and Giosuè's father
Roberto Benigni
Dora, a Gentile school teacher, Guido's wife, and Giosuè's mother
Nicoletta Braschi
Giosuè Orefice, Guido and Dora's son
Giorgio Cantarini
Uncle Eliseo, an Italian-Jewish maître, Giosuè's granduncle and Guido's uncle
Giustino Durano
Doctor Lessing, a regular customer at Eliseo's restaurant who often tries to solve riddles when with Guido, later a doctor at the concentration camp
Horst Buchholz
Dora's mother, a rich socialite
Marisa Paredes (dubbed by )
Ferruccio, Guido's friend and bumbling partner
Sergio Bustric
Rodolfo, Dora's first fiancé and a government official
Amerigo Fontani
Guicciardini
Lydia Alfonsi
the Headmistress
Giuliana Lojodice
Bartolomeo
Pietro Desilva
Did You Know?
Made on an estimated budget of $20.0M, Life Is Beautiful has grossed $230.1M worldwide — about 11.5x its budget.
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
Director Roberto Benigni, who wrote the screenplay with Vincenzo Cerami, was inspired by the story of Rubino Romeo Salmonì and his book In the End, I Beat Hitler, which incorporates elements of irony and black comedy.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-03
Life Is Beautiful was commercially successful, making 92 billion lire ($48.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-03
Critical Assessment
Life Is Beautiful holds 8.6/10 on IMDb (811,130 votes), 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, 58/100 on Metacritic.
Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.
Ratings as of July 30, 2026
Where to Watch
United States
United Kingdom
India
Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.
AI Verdict
AI-generatedBased on aggregated scores (8.6/10 on IMDb (811,130 votes), 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, 58/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Life Is Beautiful's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
Life Is Beautiful holds a 80% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What is Life Is Beautiful's IMDb rating?+
Life Is Beautiful has a 8.6/10 rating on IMDb from 811,130 votes.
What is Life Is Beautiful's Metacritic score?+
Life Is Beautiful has a Metascore of 58/100 on Metacritic.
Is Life Is Beautiful good? What are critics saying?+
Life Is Beautiful holds 8.6/10 on IMDb (811,130 votes), 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, 58/100 on Metacritic.
How long is Life Is Beautiful?+
Life Is Beautiful has a runtime of 116 min.
Who directed Life Is Beautiful?+
Life Is Beautiful was directed by Roberto Benigni.
Where can I watch Life Is Beautiful?+
Life Is Beautiful is available to stream, rent, or buy on Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Rakuten TV, Sky Store, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
Fan & Critic Buzz
Reviewers praised "Life Is Beautiful" for its strong storytelling, well-developed characters, and emotional impact, particularly Benigni's comedic performances. The film's period setting and visuals were also commended, although some reviewers noted that the weak ending detracts from its overall strength.
Viewer Reviews (TMDb)
The first half of the screenplay is better than the second and in particular the weak ending which is very commercial Oscar material. However, there is Benigni, who is an old school visual comedian, and some of his antics are a delight. The period setting details are also well do…
tubbs · 6/10<em>'Life Is Beautiful'</em> is certainly beautiful (in a sense), but is acutely haunting too. You can see where the film is heading from pretty much the get-go, though that only strengthens the grip that the film had on my mind. Evidently, it's an outstanding piece of filmmaking…
r96sk · 9/10
From the trailer's comments
The first time i’ve seen this film was in junior high, early 2000s. It was shown to our class and yes we all cried. This is one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking film i’ve ever watched. What a masterpiece.
@fannyalexander5906 · 440 likesThis movie is cinematic gold. 100 years from now, this will still be considered a must watch.
@m3mario · 531 likesWatched this movie(subbed) with my whole family many years ago. Me and my dad loved it. Till this day we still think it's one of the most beautiful movie ever made. A masterpiece, a tragedy turned to comedy in a good way. It's well balanced, it's got it's emotional moment as well…
@_.1447 · 798 likesone of the best movies ever. laughed in the first half as much as i cried in the second half.
@girlfrmars · 156 likesMy history teacher showed us this movie at the end of last year 😭it's amazing. Just. Amazing.
@imaanahmed4965 · 295 likesIt made us laugh on the outside while we were crying inside. A masterpiece.
@deborahpensa5211 · 168 likesMy history teacher showed this when i was in 6th class... all i want to say... the ending is wholesome i cried...
@digbonexd32 · 22 likesAs I told my students today in class, you MUST watch this movie in the original Italian and use the subtitles. You lose so much of Roberto Benigni's performance if you listen to it in English (or any other language but the original). A masterpiece that fully engages us as humans…
@vinceanastasi194 · 63 likes
