La tigre e la neve (The Tiger and the Snow) (2005)

17% of critics liked it
(23 reviews)
83% of users liked it
(7,715 ratings)

A love-struck poet travels into the heart of wartime Iraq in hopes of rescuing the woman he loves in Academy award-winning director Roberto Benigni's affecting tale of love and devotion. A kind poet and father to his daughters, a respected lecturer and literary figure to his students, and a complete… More A love-struck poet travels into the heart of wartime Iraq in hopes of rescuing the woman he loves in Academy award-winning director Roberto Benigni's affecting tale of love and devotion. A kind poet and father to his daughters, a respected lecturer and literary figure to his students, and a complete nuisance in the eyes of his beloved Vittoria (Nicoletta Braschi), Attilio (Benigni) finds his life suddenly turned upside down when he learns that the object of his undying affections has been critically injured in a Baghdad bombing. Now, despite the chaos sweeping through Iraq, Attilio vows to risk everything in order to travel into the heart of Baghdad and deliver the medicine that will awaken the woman of his dreams from a potentially eternal slumber. Jean Reno and Tom Waits co-star in this heartfelt, seriocomic romance, which pits the uplifting power of love against the destructive force of bombs. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 54 min.
Directed By: Roberto Benigni
Written By: Vincenzo Cerami
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 29, 2006 Wide
On DVD: May 8, 2007
Studio: Strand Releasing

Critic Reviews

G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
This film, one of the worst of 2006, almost has to be seen to be believed -- a comedy about a man who goes to Iraq, and, amid a string of comic misadventures, tries to save the life of his love, who has been gravely wounded in a bombing.
David Germain, Associated Press
Like Life Is Beautiful, The Tiger and the Snow incongruously offers sharp laughs and touches of tenderness amid moments of drama and danger.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
The only award Benigni's misconceived and unfunny The Tiger and the Snow could possibly win is for Worst Movie of 2006.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Shameless, utterly predictable and grimly unfunny nonsense.
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter
Perhaps a greater passage of time was needed to provide a more effective historical perspective, but Tiger has a bigger problem with a dramatic structure that sags conspicuously in the middle, never to completely correct itself.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Roberto Benigni's film is a scorching affront to Italians, Iraqis and the intelligence of movie audiences everywhere.
Ed Halter, L.A. Weekly
Roberto Benigni here plays out a madcap tale of romantic obsession against the backdrop of the Iraq invasion. The results are neither profound nor funny.
Richard Horgan, FilmStew.com
Unlike the pre-TV world of concentration camps seen in Life is Beautiful, the Iraq war is something we are all directly familiar with.
Shirley Sealy, Film Journal International
As a writer and director, Benigni's off-the-wall originality is striking--but sometimes he goes too far.
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Benigni can't even be bothered to get the chronology or the details of the American occupation right, and his keen visual sense isn't enough to save him: Benigni's artfully composed images are as empty as his political convictions.
Pam Grady, Reel.com
He certainly never shuts up, and he never stops joking; he's a neurotic narcissist to whom a war and a country's misery mean little except how they affect him personally.
Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News
It's mostly Benigni jumping around and waving his hands like he always does.When the occasional sobering tragedy strikes, it has little impact because the groundwork for it has not been properly prepared.
Chad Greene, Boxoffice Magazine
What Benigni was able to do so improbably in a World War II concentration camp in his masterpiece Life Is Beautiful - find comedy - he is utterly unable to do in the shock-and-awed streets of Baghdad in the early days of Gulf War II.

Read all 13 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Carlos M

Roberto Begnini repeats the same formula of his successful masterpiece Life is Beautiful, which makes this film look unoriginal, but nonetheless it is funny, touching and has a beautiful ending.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "The Tiger and the Snow," Attilio(Roberto Benigni, who also co-wrote and directed) is an absentminded poet and divorced father of two girls. He has been having dreams where he is marrying Vittoria(Who else but Nicoletta Braschi?) while he is wearing… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "The Tiger and the Snow," Attilio(Roberto Benigni, who also co-wrote and directed) is an absentminded poet and divorced father of two girls. He has been having dreams where he is marrying Vittoria(Who else but Nicoletta Braschi?) while he is wearing boxer shorts.(The dreams are so cool that Tom Waits is performing in them. But then Waits and Benigni were in "Down by Law" together...) He follows her around everywhere from city to city but now she is accompanying her employer, Fuad(Jean Reno), a renowned poet, back to his native Baghdad following the American invasion of Iraq in 2003.[/font] [font=Century Gothic]"The Tiger and the Snow" is a charming movie about dreams, not only those of Attilio and his dream girl(his semi-disturbing behavior gets partially explained away late in the movie) but also Fuad's dreams of what Iraq will be like after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Those dreams are quickly dashed by widespread looting and a lack of medical equipment there. Despite Benigni's manic persona being on full display, this is not a comedy, nor he is making light of the tragic situation in Iraq. In fact, quite the opposite and by doing so, he reveals himself to be quite the humanist, even if his filmmaking skills may not be entirely up to the task.[/font]
Panta O

Watching this movie makes you happy... it's like a drug! Roberto Benigni goes under your skin with his unbelievable actions and you can see the life in full colour! People who can not understand this movie should not write reviews... they are simply lost for art forever!… More
Watching this movie makes you happy... it's like a drug! Roberto Benigni goes under your skin with his unbelievable actions and you can see the life in full colour! People who can not understand this movie should not write reviews... they are simply lost for art forever! Recommended for everyone who loves living!
Daisy M

La tigre e la neve was a movie with a mix of drama and comedy. This made the story became very interesting and enjoyable. And off course Benigni, who was so funny sometimes. It had a simple plot although, a man discovers that the woman he loves was badly injured in a hospital in… More
La tigre e la neve was a movie with a mix of drama and comedy. This made the story became very interesting and enjoyable. And off course Benigni, who was so funny sometimes. It had a simple plot although, a man discovers that the woman he loves was badly injured in a hospital in Baghdad. He traveled to Iraq in order to help her. This movie had a good script, music, (Tom Waits performance ) and a great message of hope in the end. I recommended this movie for people looking for a romantic story with brilliant ending.
Janice :

Roberto Benigni's performance is undoubtedly filled with years of acting expertise yet a character may be grandiose although the storyline is awful... yes this is the case here. I cannot really review this movie seeing as my lazy person decided it best to watch half of it… More
Roberto Benigni's performance is undoubtedly filled with years of acting expertise yet a character may be grandiose although the storyline is awful... yes this is the case here. I cannot really review this movie seeing as my lazy person decided it best to watch half of it because it was turning into decrepitude, with Benigni being the only worthwhile part of the movie. Watch only if you have a never-ending thirst for foreign film experiences.
Donna D

Italian movie all in subtitles...but I found it to be quite charming and unique, as well as it's hilarious moments. Roberto Benigni is so funny as the lovestruck poetry teacher that has an infatuation love for the woman in his dreams. But it is quite suprising on where he ends up… More
Italian movie all in subtitles...but I found it to be quite charming and unique, as well as it's hilarious moments. Roberto Benigni is so funny as the lovestruck poetry teacher that has an infatuation love for the woman in his dreams. But it is quite suprising on where he ends up which is right in the middle of the IRAQ war zone. How they managed to pull of the film and shoot this movie in this time, is beyond me. Jean Reno co-stars who makes a nice touch to the film. A charmer. ;)