Like a Cat on a Highway 2017

Comedy

Family

Box Office

$11M

Runtime

99 mins

Language

Italian

Directed by

Riccardo Milani

Made by

Sky Cinema

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Like a Cat on a Highway Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Like a Cat on a Highway (2017). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

Led by Antonio Albanese, Giovanni Minimo heads a European think tank studying whether giving money to people in peripheral neighborhoods could spark entrepreneurship and improve living conditions.

Upon returning from Brussels, he discovers his 13-year-old daughter Agnese, Alice Maselli, now has a boyfriend Alessio from Bastogi, one of the area’s toughest zones. While shadowing Agnese, Giovanni crosses paths with Alessio’s mother Monica, Paola Cortellesi, in a tense moment that ends with her smashing his windshield with a baseball bat. When Giovanni reaches the building where Monica and Alessio live, he tries to dissuade Agnese from her relationship, but Monica is far from convinced that a bond with someone from the elite will do her son any good.

To understand each other better, Giovanni and Monica begin to date and to meet each other’s families, a turn that tests both of them as they navigate two very different worlds. Monica invites Giovanni and Agnese for a day at her favorite beach, the raucous Coccia di morto (dead shell beach), and the following week Giovanni sends an invitation in return to Monica and Alessio for a quiet day at his own beach, Capalbio. The contrast between the two settings highlights how out of place each of them sometimes feels in the other’s milieu.

Monica’s home life adds further color to the unfolding drama: her apartment doubles as a small stage for her twin stepsisters, Pamela and Sue Ellen, who bring their own chaotic energy into the mix—Pamela, Alessandra Giudicessa, and Sue Ellen, Valentina Giudicessa. The tension between the two families is amplified when Luce, Giovanni’s ex-wife who has moved to France to raise lavender for perfumes, returns and Luce Sonia Bergamasco is forced to confront the idea of her daughter’s social circle widening. At the same time, Alessio’s father Sergio, Claudio Amendola, recently pardoned and released, reappears and disparages both Giovanni’s and Luce’s professions, further complicating the delicate balance between aspiration and loyalty.

The lunch that brings everyone together becomes a turning point: Alessio and Agnese break up, and the two families drift back toward their own circles. Yet Sergio’s situation ignites a new plan—Giovanni travels to Brussels to secure the promised EU funding, while Monica chooses a practical use for part of the money and starts a pizzeria with her Bengali neighbor, putting Pamela and Sue Ellen to work delivering pizzas. The plan subtly shifts power and opportunity within their communities, hinting at the real-world reach and limits of such funding.

One evening, Monica herself delivers a pizza downtown to Giovanni. They sit together on a bench in Piazza Cavour, share a slice, and acknowledge that their affair, like so many relationships born from unlikely circumstances, might endure only as long as a cat on a highway. The film closes with a quiet, unresolved note: two people who have found common ground across class lines must decide what comes next, both aware of the fragility and possibility wrapped into their unlikely connection.

Like a Cat on a Highway Timeline

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Giovanni returns from Brussels to a daughter's new life

Giovanni returns from Brussels to find that his 13-year-old daughter Agnese is dating Alessio from Bastogi. He worries aloud about the widening gap between Agnese's elite world and his policy work on the lives of the poor. The discovery forces him to rethink how to protect her without pushing her away.

after returning from Brussels Rome

Monica's dramatic confrontation

Monica confronts Giovanni when he follows Agnese to Alessio's neighborhood. In a flash of anger she smashes his windshield with a baseball bat, signaling how volatile the cross-class tension has become. The incident leaves both sides on edge and foreshadows the uneasy alliance to come.

shortly after item 1 Bastogi, Rome

Giovanni tries to dissuade Agnese and seeks alliance with Monica

To keep Agnese and Alessio apart, Giovanni tries to dissuade her from the relationship and begins courting Monica as a potential ally. He envisions an uneasy truce between their two worlds and a mutual stake in the children's futures. The plan marks the start of a dangerous, unlikely partnership.

same day as item 2 Agnese's neighborhood (Bastogi)

Giovanni and Monica begin dating; families start to meet

Giovanni and Monica start dating and begin meeting each other’s families. The cross-cultural romance tethers their separate lives, drawing Agnese and Alessio into a tense, growing network. Both sides test how far they can trust the other as their personal boundaries blur.

weeks after item 3 Rome

A day at Coccia di morto beach

Monica invites Giovanni and Agnese for a day at her favorite Coccia di morto beach. They spend time in the rough but lively seaside setting, where class differences surface in small ways. The outing broadens the initial romance into something more complicated.

the next weekend after item 4 Coccia di morto beach

Giovanni invites Monica and Alessio to Capalbio beach

Giovanni reciprocates by inviting Monica and Alessio to his quieter Capalbio beach. The retreat gives each side a chance to compare their worlds away from the city, and they feel out of place in the other's environment. The trip underscores how hard it is for love to bridge social divides.

the following week Capalbio beach

Luce returns; lunch interrupted by Sergio

Luce returns from France and joins a family lunch at Monica's home, only to be interrupted by Sergio's sudden appearance. Sergio has just been pardoned and released, and he promptly disparages Giovanni's and Luce's professions. The confrontation amplifies the cultural clashes within the blended families.

lunch day Monica's home

Agnese and Alessio break up; families retreat

Luce is shocked by the sight of her daughter in such company and fuels Giovanni's doubts about Alessio's family. The tensions explode during the lunch, and Alessio and Agnese break up. After the quarrel, both families retreat into their own circles.

soon after item 7 Monica's home

Monica reconsiders and EU funding becomes a plan

Monica, who sided with Sergio during the lunch, begins to recognize some truth in Giovanni's criticisms. When Sergio ends up back in jail, she starts to look into EU funding as a means to improve their situation. The personal conflict begins to intersect with the financial plan.

after item 8 Monica's home

Giovanni flies to Brussels to secure funds

Giovanni travels to Brussels to secure the disbursement of the funds for the experiment. The trip tests his resolve and political acumen as he seeks a breakthrough for the project. The outcome will shape the future of the families involved.

after item 9 Brussels

Giovanni's heartfelt address to the Commission

During his address to the European Commission, he abandons his prepared speech and speaks from the heart about how hard it is for people living in poverty to make ends meet. His blunt, empathetic delivery reframes the project in human terms. The moment cements his transformation from policy wonk to advocate.

during the address EU Commission, Brussels

Monica launches a pizzeria with EU funds

Monica uses the funding to start a pizzeria with her Bengalese neighbor, giving Pamela and Sue Ellen the job of delivering the pizzas. The venture turns the funding into a tangible business in the community. The whole operation demonstrates a practical, if imperfect, collaboration across social divides.

after item 11 Monica's neighborhood, Rome

A late-night pizza delivery rekindles the affair

One evening Monica personally delivers a pizza downtown, and the delivery is for her and Giovanni. They sit on a bench in Piazza Cavour, sharing a quiet moment amid the bustle of the city. They reflect that their affair could last as long as a cat on a highway.

one evening Piazza Cavour, Rome

Like a Cat on a Highway Characters

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Giovanni Minimo (Antonio Albanese)

A high-level think tank leader for the European Parliament who studies poverty alleviation through micro-entrepreneurship. He is also an involved single father protecting his daughter Agnese while increasingly entangled with Monica’s world. His pragmatism is tested as he navigates policy, family, and desire.

🎯 Think Tank 💼 Elite 👨‍👧 Family

Monica (Paola Cortellesi)

A tough, resourceful woman who lives with her son Alessio in a modest apartment and challenges Giovanni’s assumptions. Her motives blend practical choices with a willingness to bend rules for her family’s sake. She ultimately becomes a catalyst in the cross-class dynamic.

💪 Resilient 👩‍👧 Family 🎭 Drama

Agnese (Alice Maselli)

Giovanni’s 13-year-old daughter, navigating a world where her elite father’s worldview collides with the realities of Bastogi. She represents innocence and curiosity, yet is drawn to a romance that pulls her into competing social spheres. Her choices drive the tension between two families.

🧒 Young 🎒 Student 💫 Curious

Alessio (Simone de Bianchi)

Agnese’s boyfriend from Bastogi, whose family’s struggles and the prison-stained past of his father shape his environment. He embodies the allure and danger of crossing social lines, as well as the fragility of adolescent romance.

🧒 Boyfriend 🕊️ Rebellious 🧭 Grounded

Luce (Sonia Bergamasco)

Giovanni’s ex-wife who moved to France. Her absence and eventual re-entry reflect the personal costs of the policy-driven life. She embodies a daughter’s distant parent and the complexities of family separations.

🧭 Exile 👩‍👧 Family 🌀 Complexity

Sergio (Claudio Amendola)

Alessio’s father, recently pardoned and released from prison. He represents the lure of old criminal networks and the potential for redemption, but also a destabilizing force for both families. His presence tensions Giovanni’s and Luce’s positions.

🔒 Criminal past 🧱 Barrier 🎭 Drama

Like a Cat on a Highway Settings

Learn where and when Like a Cat on a Highway (2017) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Time period

Contemporary / present-day Europe

Set in modern times, the story centers on a European think tank studying poverty alleviation through entrepreneurship. It juxtaposes elite policy rooms in Brussels with everyday life in Italian neighborhoods like Bastogi, highlighting current social policy debates. The timeline follows funding discussions, travels to Brussels, and family dynamics in the present day.

Location

Capalbio, Coccia di Morto beach, Brussels, Piazza Cavour (Rome)

The film unfolds across Capalbio, a quiet Tuscan town, and the lively Coccia di Morto beach. It also traverses to Brussels, the heart of European policy, reflecting the think tank context of the story. A touch of Rome’s Piazza Cavour anchors the narrative in Italian civic spaces.

🏖️ Beach 🏙️ City 🧭 Europe

Like a Cat on a Highway Themes

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💼

Class Divide

Agnese’s life in Bastogi contrasts with Giovanni’s elite think-tank world, revealing how wealth and opportunity shape relationships. The couple’s cross-class partnership exposes tensions between living rooms and policy rooms. The film uses these contrasts to question how policy translates into real-life change.

❤️

Cross-Class Romance

Giovanni and Monica form a romance despite coming from different social spheres, challenging family boundaries. Their relationship strains both families and tests loyalties, showing how personal desire intersects with public policy concerns. The romance acts as a catalyst for examining social mobility and empathy.

💰

Policy and Funding

The think tank investigates whether money can uplift peripheral communities through entrepreneurship. The Brussels funding pledge and its use to start a local business illustrate the gap between policy promises and on-the-ground impact. The film suggests funding alone isn’t enough without social relevance and inclusion.

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Like a Cat on a Highway Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of Like a Cat on a Highway (2017). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In the sun‑bleached landscapes of central Italy, a quiet clash of worlds stirs when a well‑to‑do think‑tank director discovers his teenage daughter has fallen for a boy from a rougher, peripheral neighborhood. The film opens on this unlikely connection, setting a tone that mixes gentle humor with an undercurrent of social tension, as the polished corridors of European policy meet the gritty streets where survival often depends on sheer ingenuity. The contrast between polished beach resorts and the bustling, chaotic shoreline of a place locals call “dead shell beach” hints at the larger divide the characters must navigate.

Giovanni carries the weight of his professional life, balancing a career that feeds into EU decision‑making with the sudden responsibility of a single parent after his ex‑wife’s departure. Across the divide, Monica runs a modest household with her teenage son, managing a cramped apartment shared with her spirited stepsisters while the shadow of an absent father looms. Their children’s budding romance becomes a fragile bridge between these disparate lives, inviting both adults to glimpse the world beyond their familiar routines.

As the story unfolds, the two families find themselves drawn into each other’s circles—shared lunches, contrasting beach outings, and lingering conversations that reveal both humor and heartache. The atmosphere remains intimate and observant, inviting viewers to contemplate how love, ambition, and everyday choices intersect across social strata. In this delicate portrait, the audience is left wondering how far the characters will go to understand one another, and whether the fleeting moments of connection can survive the pull of their opposite worlds.