The Wood-man's travelogue to the Italian capital di amor is a mixed bag quartet of love stories

Rating: 8/10 (8 July 2012)

TO ROME WITH LOVE (2012) *** Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Judy Davis, Roberto Benigni, Penelope Cruz, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Greta Gerwig, Alison Pill, Alessandra Mastronardi, Flavio Parenti, Alessandro Tiberi, Fabio Armliato. The Wood-man's travelogue to the Italian capital di amor is a mixed bag quartet of love stories involving: the filmmaker as a semi-retired opera director who makes a startling discovery in the form of his future in-law as a true find ala Caruso; Baldwin as an American actor abroad who acts as a Greek chorus to a young architect (Eisenberg) dealing with his wife Gerwig's oversexualized friend Paige (ridiculously and preciously miscast - all you JUNO haters are gonna loathe her here!); a young newlywed Italian couple accidentally separated with hot hooker Cruz involved and the absurd poke at celebrity when a mid-level Italian bureaucrat (shockingly low-key live-wire Beningi) finds himself the epitome of how media-crazed the world has become when he is the focus of the minutia of his meek life. Kudos to veteran lensman Dariu Khondji for the strikingly romantic cinematography craving you to book your next flight ASAP to Italia! Ciao!