Entertainment value:
The film, Life is beautiful, falls into two parts: one being pure comedy, and the other part of the film is a rather sad and heart warming. The movie is assisted by the perfect casting and relates a lot with middle class families and youth. Even though the runtime is 2 hours and 46 minutes, the viewer will feel as if the movie went quickly and remains with the feeling of watching more.
It is a sensible movie that touches your emotions to the fullest. After the watching the movie, you will feel nostalgic about the way it ended.
As one of the many viewers that watched the movie, I can say that you can really relate to the movie, because while watching the film you get to known the characters a little more before the Hitler's reign rises and every jew in town is forced to participate in one of the many concentration camps created.
“The movie actually softens the Holocaust slightly, to make the humor possible at all.” - Robert Bert (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19981030/REVIEWS/810300303)
I agree with this quote from the author's article. The movie softens quite a bit the aftermaths and consequences of the Holocaust. While toning it down the movie, portrays this sort of humor that keeps the viewer interested, but as entertaining as it is, the movie, Life is beautiful, serves as a glimpse for young viewers or people unaware of the Holocaust, to have a glimpse of what it was, and how bad the quality of life was during those times.
The main bullet point about the movie is the emphasis that shifts when we realize that this is a film about human spirit above all else. Guido not only appeals to the audience due to his comedy and sheer pleasantness, but also in the way that he loves his family and the measures that he will go to to protect them.
Even though the movie is not in English, that does not mean that the language barrier should be a deciding factor when pondering about whether to watch this movie...