La Dolce Vita

When I saw the Sight & Sound list of Top 50 films I was surprised at how few of them I'd seen. So this is a series of posts where I'll watch as many of these films as I can and share my findings with you. Most importantly, are these movies only relevant to film geeks, or will an average bloke like me find anything in them to enjoy? You can see the other reviews here.
Preconceptions
Probably more famous as a movie poster than as a movie. And of course there's the Trevvi fountain scene. None of this told me anything about the movie.
Why is it on the list?
39th on the critics poll and 37th on the directors poll.
Where can I see it?
I bought a second hand DVD box set that contained this and 8½. Weirdly the box said that La Dolce Vita is 104 minutes long when it is in fact closer to 170. This fucked up my schedule for the day and I had to watch it in two parts.
What's it about?
Ennui. Lots of ennui. Rather glamorous, rich people lounging around doing nothing, wondering why they're so bored and unfulfilled. Complaining that this film contains a lot of whining, over-privileged people is like complaining that the Godfather contains a lot of murderous psychopaths; that's what the film is about. Having said that there is more to it, but it's quite tricky to get your hooks into. The invasion of American culture, spiritual bankruptcy, the choices required for a creative life. There's no traditional storyline here, just a series of events with recurring themes and a central character.
Is it just for film geeks?
Good question. Probably not, but I can't see many people having much patience with this; I certainly found it a bit of a struggle in parts.
Entertainment value out of ten?
The ennui, oh the ennui! There's no getting around the fact that these people are seriously dislikable, as they should be, but sometimes making a film about irritating people can lead to an irritating film. On the other hand there's much to like too: it's beautifully filmed, and some of the scenes are very compelling (I particularly enjoyed the scene about the miracle). But it's also occasionally quite tiresome and the supposed profundity was a bit too much to bear. 6/10
Would I watch it again?
I think I might, as there's certainly things here to be enjoyed.