TO ROME WITH LOVE

 Comedy

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Alison Pill: Hayley, an American tourist

Flavio Parenti: Michelangelo, an architect

Lynn Swanson: his mother Ellen

Fabio Armiliato: his father Giancarlo

Woody Allen: retired music producer Jerry
Judy Davis: his wife Phyllis

Alessandro Tiberi: newly married Antonio

Alessandra Mastronardi: his school teacher wife Milly

Penélope Cruz: Anna, a prostitute

Roberto Benigni: Leopoldo, an office clerk

Alec Baldwin: John, a retired architect

Carol Alt: his wife Carol

Jesse Eisenberg: Jack, an architectural student

Greta Gerwig: his girlfriend Sally

Ellen Page: her friend Monica

REVIEW

What a disappointment: after his wonderful Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen comes out with a stinker. Supposedly a comedy, the first inkling of hilarity is Jerry’s reaction to shaking the hand of a mortician, and that after a half hour has transpired. The next hilarious bit is Jerry’s mispronunciation of Michelangelo’s name, not just once but three times. It doesn’t get any better than that so set your laugh expectations low, real low.

But unfortunately that’s not the worst of it: the story is about four couples who have no connection with each other and these interlaced vignettes are supposed to be of some interest. Well they aren’t, in large measure because the dialogue is infantile. For example Leopoldo is interviewed on television and asked what he had for breakfast that morning to which said “toast and coffee” then this is followed up with “and what did you put on your toast?” to which he replied “jam”.

No longer able to contain myself from laughing so much (and not wanting to waste any more time) I walked out.

CLASSIFICATION

 for sexual content and profanity.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY

Anna slips off her shoes and tosses them on the bed, each one landing on a different pillow. When she retrieves them they are both together conveniently on the side of the bed so she doesn’t have to reach for them.

Leopoldo tries several times to hurriedly unlock the front door but in his haste never gets the key in the lock yet the door magically opens when he pushes on it.

P.S.

Once more Ralph’s Rule of Redundancy applies:

“Any film where one person takes on more than 2 key positions (Woody Allen is Writer, Director and Star) has a major shortcoming: the absence of independent critical judgement that results in something less than it might have been.”