YMMV / Compagni di Scuola

• Alternative Character Interpretation: If it wasn't Ciardulli, who stole Finocchiaro's money? A common interpretation is Federica (despite being seemingly a nice person), because she's the only character besides Ciardulli who is completely broke. Another hypothesis is that Fabris stole the money for revenge before going away, since Finocchiaro is the one who bullied him the most.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: Resident Butt-Monkey Fabris only appears in the first 15 minutes and then leaves the movie without being mentioned again. He's still considered one of the most iconic characters in the film, and even his actor Fabio Traversa was surprised that fans still remember this character.
• He Really Can Act: Christian De Sica is mainly known for starring in infamously cheap and vulgar comedy movies, unlike his late father, but he's actually a pretty good actor, and here his performance as the funny yet pathetic deadbeat Ciardulli shows his acting skills very well.
• Jerkass Woobie: Most characters are terrible people yet somewhat sympathetic because they also have a terrible life.
  • Piero Ruffolo is a selfish and neurotic Sympathetic Adulterer who struggles with his marriage to a shrill and dominant woman, and seems to genuinely care about his mistress Cristina.
  • Ciardulli is an immature and opportunistic moocher, but his singing career is a failure, he's basically broke, and becomes a bit more sympathetic after his Humiliation Conga.
  • There are only a few aversions. The only characters who are never sympathetic at all are Valenzani, Lepore, and Santolamazza, who are just jerks.
• Moe: Cristina, because she's so young, naive, and vulnerable compared to all the cynical adults around her.
• The Woobie:
  • Poor Naïve Everygirl Cristina, who bursts into tears after being abused by Valenzani.
  • Fabris gets bullied just for being unattractive. This is Played for Laughs, but it's still quite cruel because he does nothing to deserve that.
  • Even Federica falls into this. She's genuinely nice to all her ex-classmates, trying to hide the fact that she's homeless and completely alone. Thankfully, she accepts the help of one of her friends at the end.

---