A Charming Gem; Too Bad People Are Comparing It to Other Films

Rating: Null/10 (22 July 2012)

To Rome with Love (2012)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Woody Allen's latest features another all-star cast including the likes of Allen himself, Judy Davis, Roberto Benigni, Alison Pill, Alec Baldwin, Greta Gerwig, Alessandra Mastronardi, Jesse Eisenberg, Penelope Cruz and Ellen Page. The film basically tells the different stories of unrelated characters spending the summer in Rome. One story involves a father and mother (Allen, Davis) going to visit their future in-laws and Allen discovering that the father is a singing genius. Another deals with a young man (Eisenberg) who is falling in love with his girlfriend's (Gerwig) best friend (Page). Another deals with a young newlywed couple (Alessandro Tiberian, Mastronardi) who find themselves involved with other people. Finally, an ordinary and rather boring man (Benigni) wakes up one morning and is forced to be a celebrity for no other reason than he's a celebrity. It's really a shame that TO ROME WITH LOVE seems to be getting attacked not for being a bad movie but instead of it just not being as good as MIDNIGHT TO Paris. Since that film really shot Allen back to the top I guess it should have been expected that some might leave this disappointed because it's not as good as the other but it's a real shame because this film deserves its own spotlight.
There's no major surprises or laugh-out-loud moments but the picture is just one charming moment after another and I really don't think the smile ever left my face. I think it's fair to say that none of the characters or their situations would have made for a good feature on their own but with everything cut down to basically four different movies, I think the actors bring the parts to life enough to where it really works in this Robert Altman like set up. I think Allen's dialogue is really on the mark as he once again spins that web of romance, mystery of life and of course his various opinions on certain subjects. It seems Allen is having the most fun with the Benigni character as there are many shots at people who are famous for no reason other than being famous. The way Allen gets his point across is extremely well done and it really makes you see how silly it all is. I'd say that all four stories work very well and there's no question that the casting was perfect. Allen is in fine form, a bit slower than in the past but this is to be expected. Baldwin is extremely good doing his best work in years as a person who just shows up to give advice. Both Eisenberg and Page deliver fine performances as does Gerwig. Benigni is a real delight in his part as the ordinary man who gets to experience fame. Cruz is a major standout as a hooker who gets mistaken for a man's wife. I must say that I've never seen her looking more beautiful and it's that one thing more striking that the Rome visuals. TO ROME WITH LOVE is fast, funny but mostly it's an amazingly charming little picture. It's not Allen's best but it's rather amazing how this guy can pump out at least a film a year.