What is the AmE and BrE for "americanata"?

Americanata is a common Italian noun which is used to refer to:

• scherz., iron. Azione, impresa fatta con grandiosità esagerata e ostentata. Bizzarria di dubbio gusto: Quello spettacolo è pieno di americanate. (Hoepli)

Translation:

• (jocular, ironic. Actions, feats performed with exaggerated and ostentatious grandeur. Oddities of doubtful taste. That show is full of "americanate".)

The term is generally used with a derogatory connotation to refer to a single action like "Fonzi jumps the shark" or a movie like "Armageddon" for instance, which are often very popular especially among young people.

The expression is generally translated with a phrase like "exaggerated, unbelievable thing", but what is the noun in AmE and BrE that conveys the meaning suggested above?

Solution 1:

There isn't an equivalent in AmE or BrE because the term relates to a concept that is specific to Italian culture. The definition given in the question is incomplete and perhaps somewhat misleading. An americanata is essentially any behavior done by Americans that Italians don't understand, and which has an element of absurdity to it. There's generally an element of technological innovation in play as well. And while the over-the-top questionable taste stuff is perhaps the classic example, perfectly reasonable things like dental floss or seatbelts in automobiles are also americanate, or at least have been. The word relates to American things viewed from the context of Italian culture. The things in question need not actually be absurd, they just need to appear so from the point of view of the Italians.

It's also very important to understand that this word isn't really derogatory. It's lighthearted and there's usually some admiration in the mix. An americanata is largely harmless and the word is usually used as part of a funny statement. It's a put-down, but an affectionate one.

Although I can't think of any term to use, a rough equivalent of the concept is our perception of certain Japanese innovations. The culture is foreign and mysterious to us, and hyper-modern and technological. So much of it seems strange and funny, while we also recognize and admire the technical achievements that underlie it.

Solution 2:

The original sentence evokes P.T. Barnum's spectacles and exhibitions, or Buffalo Bill Cody's western show, so in America it would specifically be a three-ring circus:

a public spectacle, especially one with little substance.

"his attempt at a dignified resignation turned into a three-ring circus"

Solution 3:

I think the closest may be kitsch

something of tawdry design, appearance, or content created to appeal to popular or undiscriminating taste.

things (such as movies or works of art) that are of low quality and that many people find amusing and enjoyable

ex: The lava lamp is an example of Sixties kitsch