Two of a Kind

Two episodic stories unfold in this early 80s Italian comedy, mixing farce with social satire. One strand follows a cheerful house painter who relocates to Switzerland and pretends to enjoy a wealthier life than his paycheck allows. The other tracks a weary office worker who takes a holiday in Kenya and becomes entangled in a chain of misunderstandings and pratfalls. Across both tales, simple schemes unravel in spectacular fashion, delivering a string of awkward encounters, mishaps, and reversals. The humor comes from pretension meeting reality, as ordinary characters are pushed by circumstance into ridiculous, larger than life situations. The comedy stays light with brisk pacing and visual gags.

Released in 1983, the film is directed by Neri Parenti. The screenplay comes from Giovanni Manganelli, Leonardo Benvenuti and Paolo Villaggio, with Villaggio in one of his signature double roles. The movie is a compact Italian comedy built around two episodic misadventures that showcase the interplay between ordinary people and extravagant fantasies.

Box office data for this title is not readily documented, so its commercial impact remains unclear from widely cited sources. The film likely played to mid range Italian cinema audiences of the era without breaking into blockbuster territory.

There are no major awards or nominations listed for Two of a Kind. The project leans into ensemble humor and character interplay rather than awards circuit recognition, signaling a light hearted approach to comedy that fans of Villaggio and Banfi would recognize from Italian cinema of the period.

Reception and themes sit at the heart of the film, with the two episodes exploring aspiration and social pretension through outlandish situations. Villaggio and Banfi play against type in dual roles, and the setting shifts from Swiss streets to Kenyan beaches, underscoring how ordinary people cope with comic chaos.