Il Sorpasso

Il sorpasso (English: The Easy Life) is a 1962 Italian cult movie directed by Dino Risi. It is considered Risi's masterpiece and one of the most famous examples of Commedia all'italiana film genre.

Plot

The film starts in a hazy, sun-baked and seemingly empty Rome on an August morning. A young, timid law student, Roberto (Trintignant), gazing out his window, is asked for trivial favor by a 40-ish man named Bruno (Gassman), who is passing on the street below at the wheel of a convertible Lancia Aurelia: could he please make a phone call for him?

The young man tells him to come up and make the call himself. After Bruno fails to contact his friends — after all, he is running a full hour late for his meeting with them — he insists on repaying Roberto's courtesy with a drink. Tired of studying for the day and falling prey to Bruno's enthusiasm, the young man accepts.

Thus begins a cruise along the Via Aurelia, the Roman road that also gives the name to Bruno's beloved car. Roberto is unwilling or unable to part from this casual acquaintance despite having almost nothing in common with him. Bruno is loud, direct, risk taking, a bit coarse and a braggart, to boot. He drives recklessly, speeding and constantly attempting "il Sorpasso" — the impatient and aggressive practice of serial tailgating and honking to overtake other cars on the road. But he is also charming and likable. And Roberto, his complete opposite, feels drawn to Bruno's impulsive, devil-may-care attitude.