Framed! A Sicilian Murder Mystery

I used to have respect for Italian films in general, and Italian comedies in particular. The story is silly and forced and brings the term contrived to a new level. The acting is at the level of a drama club in middle school. The characters are so caricatural that they even stop being funny. Not just the main characters who behave like kindergarten kids, but the people surrounding them. Just an example, one of the main characters is lactose intolerant and his mom, out of love tries to convince him to eat a lot of cheese. A clown show in a circus may have more depth and artistic value. It is neither comedy (we cringed more than we laughed) nor detective story (we were not intrigued to find who did what for a single moment) Typical Netflix film that does not represent the value of the cinema of a certain country (Italy in this case)

My family and I enjoyed both seasons of Incastrati. Heck...I still re-watch all of the episodes of the show. The Italian comic duo of, Ficarra e Picone definitely had me rolling in every scene and their wacky situations. The series was so funny and very entertaining. I wouldn't mind a third season, but they have solved the case of Padre Santorini & his racket. I still can't get enough of this show. Mind you I am not Italian, also never been to Sicily, and I am trying to learn the Italian language. I understood the jokes very well since their language is similar to Spanish. Even though Netflix's has the language option to select in English, but I always keep it in its original language Italian. I would recommend anyone to watch this show. It will definitely have you rolling in laughter. Loved the performances, plot, setting,thrills, and humor of it. So this why Incastrati deserves the 10 stars I gave it. The only thing that surprises me is that I don't see that many great reviews of this show, or even higher amount of ratings.

I watched this entire 2 season Sicilian comedy because 3 of my grandparents came to America from there and I very much enjoyed my visit to Sicily a few years ago - although I like one of the main characters can do without ricotta cheese! I also like hearing the Sicilian language which in this series is clear and well spoken. The plot of Incastrati (Framed) is quite intricate - never a dull moment. At first I was expecting a comedy in the American sense but soon decided the label "comedy" is meant in the Shakespearean way, i.e., "Framed" ("Incastrati") is not a tragedy - all's well that ends well. If you enjoyed the tv series "Monk" about an obsessive compulsive detective you might like Framed as well - a dedicated homicide detective (Agata, as in Agatha Christie perhaps?) searches for "the guy" while a meek bachelor and his feisty partner who run a small repair business together realize their romances keep going wrong. The twosome don't repair anything but they do keep their heads above water while surrounded by endlessly menacing trigger-happy Mafiosos. I was rather surprised about the plot with all its complexities but glad I watched to the end - a well-crafted mystery set in stunning locales.

This is a story about a couple of TV Repairmen, somewhat reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy, who accidentally get mixed up with the local mob and wind up smack in the middle between the mob family and the coppers. It's never not a comedy though, but still takes the plot seriously enough. So, no one turns into a horse (a L&H reference). However, there were a couple times I thought they went a bit too silly. I'm not Italian, have never been to Sicily, and do not speak the language. I understood the jokes just fine, so not sure what the other reviewers were talking about. The subs seemed accurate as the words matched the character's tone and body language. Overall, this was an enjoyable watch. Now that I know this is a comedy duo, I plan to watch more of their work. A well-deserved 7* is my rating.