Fabio is in love with his colleague Linda, but she has never even seen him until he's mistaken for her boyfriend. Paolo and Mario leave for a luxurious vacation in Rio de Janeiro for Christmas, without knowing that their sons have booked a trip for the same low-cost destination and, for a problem of homonymy between fathers and sons, the two holidays are exchanged.
Now 25, brilliant Marta seems to have her whole life ahead after majoring in philosophy, but she has to face the ugly truth for young graduates in Italy: a complete lack of work opportunities outside of temp jobs. While babysitting for single mother Sonia, she starts to work at the call center of a company selling junk to housewives, quickly rising through its ranks and experiencing first-hand the fanatical and exploitative competition culture pushed on young employees. Around her revolve other people, like delusional supervisor Daniela, her boss Claudio, fragile coworker Lucio, and well-meaning but inconsistent union official Giorgio.
Unemployed Domenico robs a bank, but is forced to take a hostage when things go wrong. The hostage, Tommaso, is a man who hates his wife and job, and who was already planning to run away with his gay cop lover, so this seems to him like a good opportunity to disappear and start over again: the kidnapped becomes the kidnapper, and things get even more complicated when they're reached by Rita, Tommaso's daughter.
Director Maurizio Nichetti is invited on TV to introduce a screening of his neo-realist classic 'The Icicle Thief'. He is horrified to discover that his black-and-white tale of life in poverty is constantly interrupted by garish color commercials, and even more horrified when a power cut in the studio causes film and commercials to mix up – a glamorous model finds herself in the arms of an unemployed pauper, while his wife finds herself in consumers' heaven. Nichetti has to break into the film to try to sort everything out.
