Avanti!

An ambitious Chicago businessman named Wendell Armbruster Jr. travels to Italy to arrange the return of his powerful father’s body for burial. He expects a routine assignment, but learns the elder died in the company of his longtime mistress, turning the trip into a delicate social test. As Wendell negotiates etiquette, language barriers, and his own pride, he encounters a cast of colorful locals and a bright, determined woman named Pamela Piggott who may complicate or aid his task. The sun drenched streets, cramped offices, and formal dinners become a laboratory for humor as misunderstandings multiply and respectability clashes with impulse. The film balances businesslike resolve with warmth, curiosity, and a growing, not quite conventional romance.

Released in 1972, Avanti! was directed by Billy Wilder and adapted by Samuel A. Taylor and I. A. Diamond from a stage play by Taylor and Diamond. The screenplay pairs Lemmon with Juliet Mills in a fish out of water comedy set against a vivid Italian backdrop, letting cultural collision fuel the laughs.

Avanti! sits among Wilder's late era comedies and uses a bright Italian backdrop to explore cross cultural manners and miscommunication. Lemmon delivers precise, practical humor while Mills brings quick wit and resilience, creating scenes that linger as practical jokes about travel and civility. The balance of sharp dialogue and human warmth gives the film a buoyant charm that sticks with viewers long after the credits roll.

Critics greeted the film with warmth and some reserved praise, noting its lighter pace and gentle heart. It treats mortality, family duty, and unexpected attraction with a steady hand, letting humor soften the foibles of ambition and the ache of lost generations, without becoming cynical. The result is a late Wilder confection that feels effortless yet thoughtfully composed.

Awards: Avanti! earned Golden Globes nominations for Jack Lemmon in Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy and for the screenplay by Samuel A Taylor and I A Diamond. The nominations reflect the film’s blend of sharp dialogue, convincing chemistry, and Wilder’s knack for balancing farce and sentiment.