It's at times a little telegraphed, even heavy handed; the links between the five stories being arbitrary, almost tenuous introductions to another morality tale, but there's lots to like regardless. Roberto Benigni is excellent as the offbeat cab driver who likes the company of pumpkins and sheep, and his funny segment is juxtaposed quite beautifully with the more heartfelt and raw finale. My favourite segment, however, is the equally funny New York section starring Giancarlo Esposito, which is basically a culture clash between a working-class New Yorker and a foreign immigrant's first night driving a taxi. It balances both the humour and drama perfectly, a harmony which isn't met so successfully in the rest of the film. Yet, Jim Jarmusch's tale about disparate lives intermingling during one night is both original, bold (filming across the world and in native languages has to be applauded), poignant, and very funny.