To Rome with Love

To Woody with Love

I hate romantic comedies. Have I said that before? Well, I’ll say it again: I hate romantic comedies. Footnote: except when they’re done right. And Woody Allen is my footnote. He is one of few who knows how to tackle this genre with quirky charm and smart delight.

To Rome With Love is a story about nothing really; just a collage of love and life, but told with charisma and wit. One of the reasons it works so well is due to its stunning ensemble cast. Perhaps therein lies the secret to a superbly successful rom-com. Look at Love Actually as another example. And Woody Allen knows how to bring the most talented actors together. Judy Davis and Penelope Cruz return to Woody’s fold, while several fresh faces and a fantastic Italian cast also bring life to his brilliant words. Jesse Eisenberg’s performance as whimsical architect Jack is a welcome surprise. He, along with Ellen Page’s capricious Monica, is a bright young embodiment of Woody Allen’s neurotic charm and the inestimable Alec Baldwin plays along as the personified voice in their heads. Elsewhere in Rome Roberto Benigni, with his boundless energy and wide-eyed sincerity on screen, sets up a delightful mockery of the cult of celebrity and reality TV, simultaneously questioning middle class mediocrity. Woody himself pops up too with his classic bumbles and chattering musings as the father of a young American girl who goes to Rome on holiday only to fall in love and stay.

Following the success of the gorgeous Midnight in Paris, To Rome With Love brings Woody back to the continent. Of course there is some hint of his beloved New York as several of the American characters are native New Yorkers, but the film is set entirely in Italy. As the title suggests, it is a love letter to Rome. Gorgeous shots, passionate operatic renditions and even a bungled bout of Italian cooking pay tribute to the capital. From classic moments of comedy to outrageous set-ups such as the singing in the shower, it all plays out like an amusing, fanciful dream blending its allure and wit to create the sort of magical realism that enchanted audiences in Midnight in Paris and now in Rome.

Originally published on Dinner and a Movie.

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