To Woody, with great love from the movie-loving world, bellissimo!

Rating: 9/10 (10 July 2012)

In Rome, there are lots of folks on the verge of great love. There is the young American tourist (Alison Pill) who just happens to get directions to the Trevi fountain from a gorgeous young Italian lawyer. Soon, they are seeing the city and having dinner. But, the idyllic phase may be over when her parents (Judy Davis and Woody Allen) fly in from the States to meet the young man and his family. The lawyer's father, a mortician, sings opera in the shower well but fails to make an impact when he has no soap in his hands. Then, there is a young architectural student (Jesse Eisenberg) who has a live-in girlfriend (Greta Gerwig) he supposedly is much in love with. What a curveball when her longtime, struggling-actress pal (Ellen Page) shows up to turn his attentions in a new direction. An older building designer (Alec Baldwin) is around to give him advice. There is also the gentle clerk (Roberto Benigni) who suddenly captures the world's attention, even to what kind of underwear he sports! And, what about the young married couple, straight from the country, who come to Rome for a new, wealthier life and get tangled up with a call girl (Penelope Cruz) and a philandering actor? What doings and what romance is in the air! Dear Woody, don't be scared, but I am a number one fan, among many in the world. Therefore, every work you create is like adding a new element to the periodic table. This one is fresh, funny, clever, and utterly gorgeous in its photography. The cast, very large, is also terrific! Bravo! For all you film fans everywhere, in Rome, New York, or Peoria, go see it. Immediately, if not sooner.