The poor man's Amarcord.

Fellini's autobiographical third film is a wonderful, comic, and touching story about the last days of a gang of pals in a small town in Italy, all facing new directions as adulthood weighs upon them. The basic story involves Fausto, the playboy of the group, who finds himself faced with the prospect of marriage and family and is too irresponsible to deal with either. At the other end of the scale is Moraldo, something of a self-portrait of Fellini, who yearns to leave this sleepy town behind and strike out on his own. Fellini's first big international success, it is made with natural ease and filled with winning charm, but there's a certain sobering bite to the nostalgia. It's a fond recollection of a place where the realities can be tough, spirits wither, and you're only allowed to dream when you sleep. Hugely influential on many other movies about cocky young men -- from "Mean Streets" to "Diner" to "Boyz N the Hood."