影片以假想的国家参预部长切萨雷·波代罗为靶子，对意大利政党（该部长似乎是社会党）在竞选运动中贪污受贿、结党营私、欺骗行诈等恶劣行径表现得淋漓尽致。这同两年后，由米兰大法官迪·彼得罗领头掀起的一场全国范围内大规模的打击贪污受贿、反腐败的“净手”运动中所揭露出的大量贪污受贿案件和各政党腐败的种种情景如出一辙。在这场运动中，首当其冲的是社会党、天民党，随着运动的深入，各党派都无一例外地显出不干不净。社会党总书记克拉克西因大量受贿而被判刑，逃亡到国外，至今不敢回国。两年后，人们重看这部影片，同现实生活中的形形色色丑闻相对照，不得不佩服这位年轻的电影工作者，把他誉为政治上有先见之明的导演。Cesare Botero (Nanni Moretti) is a young minister well-known to be corrupted and corrupter. He is looking for an appropriate spokesman. He finds the right person in Prof. Luciano Sandulli (Silvio Orlando). Sandulli is a very good and polite person, he is positive and full of hopes, but unluckily his economic position is disastrous. So he immediately accepts the new job. He has to write all the speeches of the minister, and soon became a sort of mentor. In fact his first impact with Rome and his politician world is positive, Sandulli is really convinced the young minister want really change the situation working for the common interest. But step by step, nevertheless his economic and familiar situation gets a lot of benefits by his new job, he enters in a world in which intrigues and corruption are the only laws. The honest Sandulli will react trying to resist to the cynic world of Botero. He will come back to his students.
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