The Taming of the Scoundrel is a romantic comedy film directed by Franco Castellano and Giuseppe Moccia. The film revolves around the life of a rich and successful farmer named Augusto (played by Adriano Celentano), who is notorious for being rude and arrogant towards everyone, including his employees and neighbors.
One day, Augusto suddenly loses his memory after a car accident and wakes up in a hospital with no recollection of his past life. To make matters worse, he discovers that his beautiful nurse, Maria (played by Ornella Muti), is a former employee of his who he had mistreated and fired.
As Augusto recovers, Maria sees an opportunity to teach him a lesson and decides to pretend to be his wife, convincing him that he was once a kind and loving man who had a change of heart after meeting her. Augusto, now smitten with Maria, begins to believe her story and starts to behave more kindly towards people.
However, as Augusto's memory starts to return, he becomes suspicious of Maria's intentions and tries to unravel the truth. The film culminates in a hilarious and heartwarming climax as Augusto learns the value of kindness and love.
Throughout the film, the audience is treated to Adriano Celentano's comic timing and charisma, as well as the stunning performance of Ornella Muti, who was nominated for the Best Actress Award at the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists for her role in the film. The film was released in 1980 and was a commercial success in Italy, making it one of the most popular romantic comedies of its time.