Poveri ma ricchi (2016)

The Tucci family from Torresecca, a small village in the Roman countryside, consists of Danilo, a dairy-company employee, and Loredana, a homemaker; their children, Tamara, a teenage shop assistant and influencer, and Kevi, a studious boy whose name has no final “n” because of his father’s ignorance; Uncle Marcello, a botanist; and Nicoletta, their widowed, retired grandmother. Despite their far from prosperous financial situation, they are a cheerful, close-knit family who live happily, enjoying a generous helping of supplì every day, cooked by Danilo and Loredana. One day, Loredana wins one hundred million euros in the lottery, and the whole family decides to enjoy their winnings without telling anyone, to avoid the entire village coming to them for money. However, before long, the secret is revealed, and the whole Tucci family decides to move to Milan to start a new life. Once they arrive in the Lombard metropolis, they can finally use their money without having to hide anymore. They first move into a five-star hotel, then buy a luxury penthouse, spending lavishly; in both places, they are waited on hand and foot by Gustavo, their mild-mannered butler. Meanwhile, Marcello meets Valentina, a waitress at the hotel, and immediately falls in love with her. But because she cannot stand rich people, he pretends to be broke and, for her sake, even finds a job as a dishwasher at the same hotel. Then, on Marcello’s birthday, Valentina invites him to her home after work to celebrate, and sparks fly between them as a love affair begins. Their new life among the wealthy is abruptly cut short, however, by an unexpected and unwelcome surprise. Danilo decides to invest all the money they have left in setting up a Formula One racing team, but falls victim to a con artist, leaving the Tuccis poor once again and forced to return to their old life in Torresecca—all except Marcello, who stays in Milan and marries Valentina. The return to normality does the family good, however, and they regain the closeness they had lost because of their sudden wealth. In the end, Kevi reveals (to the audience) that the scam his father fell victim to was actually a hoax he had devised, and that, with the help of Gustavo, the now inseparable butler, he managed to save the family’s savings and, above all, keep the family together.