I think this might be the ultimate Craig Duffy film. I’m pretty sure that I was genetically predisposed to like this film. In terms of the things I respond to in cinema, Il Sorpasso checks all the boxes. It’s a road movie that luxuriates in the settings and side characters, it expertly balances comedy and drama, it features a passive main character who is propelled along by a charismatic rascal, the pop songs are expertly placed and the photography is beautiful. The fact that it’s set in Italy during that La Dolce Vita/L’Avventura period where modernity was rapidly eclipsing the old world only serves as icing on the cake. Is it coincidence that Alexander Payne saw this film shortly before he directed Sideways which propelled him into my personal pantheon of favorite working directors? Seriously, if you were to take several of my favorite films and make a collage of them, it would look like Il Sorpasso. I can’t believe it took me so long to discover this film. God bless Criterion for bringing this film to my attention and giving it such a loving treatment. Highly recommended!
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