“To Rome With Love” is Allen’s latest and final film in his popular city-themed trilogy and is a playful, sexy and fun comedy set in Roma, Italy…
I was once thrown out of a bar for almost starting a fight over a Woody Allen film – luckily for them, a sympathetic bar tender stepped in before it went any further.
That was almost 20 years ago, and while I don’t remember which film I was so incensed over, it’s most likely that while Woody’s latest effort is far from inciting such commitment, it is still well worth your time.
“To Rome With Love” is Allen’s latest and final film in his popular city-themed trilogy and is a playful, sexy and fun comedy set in Roma, Italy.
The Italian-paced comedy unravels several very familiar, Woody Allen themed stories over four simultaneous story arcs, starring (among others) Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Woody Allen, Judy Davis & Jesse Eisenberg.
In “To Rome With Love” Woody inquires once again to the eternal unanswered questions of what is love, lust, purpose and the meaning within the absurdity of life itself. However, this time round, the majority of the analysis is left at the door, and the balance of the film provides an entertaining unraveling of its many absurd and comedic circumstances.
The general production is polished and direct to the point of invisibility, whilst the casting is both an introduction to fresh new faces and a playful re-introduction to some more familiar ones.
With the exception of Ellen Page, who I felt was terribly inadequate in her role, the cast is an equal split of American and Italian actors, who approach their respective characters with a relish and vigor that is truly endearing. A cameo from 1970‘s screen goddess Ornella Muti was especially fun; clearly I was empathizing with Woody’s equal adoration!
The film, whilst set in Roma, is far from Roman. Woody deliberately separates his responsibilities of engaging too deeply in the local culture and limits the engagement mostly to passing references to the city’s architecture. Woody instead focuses more deeply on his admiration of Italian cinema by paying homage to the spirit of Italian comedy; referencing the cadence, frivolity and absurdity of these classic films.
It would be easy to dismiss “To Rome With Love” as a simplistic, twee, romantic comedy, but fortunately Woody manages to elevate the experience to something much more by combining his masterful and imaginative approach to storytelling and by ensuring that the cast deliver wholly adorable and empathic characters, that you can’t help but love.
Richard Johnson 17 November 2012
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