To Rome with Love

Rating: 8/10 (31 July 2017)

I was too quick to judge Woody Allen's films that take place outside of New York. I still much prefer the more familiar setting of New York in Woody Allen films, but MIdnight in Paris and To Rome with Love prove that Woody knows exactly what he was doing whether he was in the U.S. or not. His 2011 film, MIdnight in Paris won Woody an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Allen's 2012 film To Rome with Love may not have won him any statuettes, or much critical acclaim, for that matter, but it did prove Allen's prowess outside of New York that film audiences have associated him with through most of his career. Starring Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, and the return of Woody Allen, To Rome with Love, is an entry late, but a worthwhile entry in the career of Woody Allen.
In a familiar structure for Woody Allen, To Rome with Love follows four unrelated stories which take place in The Eternal City. In one story we follow a native New Yorker, Haley (Alison Pill) who meets Michelangelo (Flavio Parenti) a lawyer and political leftist. After spending some time together, the two fall in love and plan to marry at the end of the summer. Her parents, Jerry (Woody Allen) and Phyllis (Judy Davis) fly to Rome to meet Michelangelo and his family. Jerry, a retired opera director hears Michelangelo singing and becomes convinced he is a star in the making and sets his sights on turning the shower singer into an opera hit. The audience also gets to know Antonio (Alessandro Tiberi) and Millie (Alessandra Mastronardi) newlyweds who have just moved to Rome so Antonio can take a job with his relatives. Millie gets lost in the city and Antonio, refusing to go to a lunch meeting/introduction of his new wife alone enlists the help of Anna (Penélope Cruz) to pose as his wife. In yet another unrelated story, John Foy (Alec Baldwin), an architect from America who now designs shopping centers stumbles upon Jack (Jesse Eisenberg) an architect student who reminds John of himself 30 years younger. Jack and his girlfriend Sally (Greta Gerwig), a fellow student, are enjoying a vacation when they get a call from Sally's best friend Monica (Ellen Page) who is unexpectedly going to meet the couple in Rome to help herself get over a breakup. Jack and Monica share an instant attraction which builds in intensity the more time they spend together. Luckily for Jack, John is in tow to act as a life guide for Jack in hopes of helping him prevent making a big mistake. The final story finds Leopoldo (Roberto Benigni) a loyal husband and a hard-worker who doesn't have much excitement to look forward in his life suddenly thrust into fame without explanation. All of a sudden, Leopoldo's life is documented by reporters as he is constantly followed by the paparazzo. Stuck between being happy that he is now being noticed and wanting his quiet life back, Leopoldo is left with only being able to ride the wave until he is returned to his former life if he ever is.
I will never cease to be amazed at the incredible depth Woody Allen can give to so many stories simultaneously. Often times, throughout my viewing of To Rome with Love, I felt like I was watching a mini-series there was so much independent detail to each storyline. The quality writing of Woody Allen is a facet of his I will never tire of. My favorite part of To Rome with Love, despite Woody Allen's portion of the young love segment, was the time spent with Leopoldo. Just as Woody did in his 1998 film, Celebrity, he takes a scathing look at the celebrity culture, even providing commentary on the differences in treatment male and female celebrities must deal with. Hearing reporters yell out inquiring why Leopoldo's coffee spilled and whether he wears boxers or briefs resonates with anyone who has flipped through a magazine while in line at the grocery store. The way Leopoldo is abandoned when a new "celebrity" emerges and resists the quiet life he thought he wanted back, clearly illustrates the fears of those in the public eye rarely explored. Roberto Benigni was a brilliant bit of casting to tell Leopoldo's story. Benigni came to the attention of many American film fans only in 1997 after years in the entertainment industry when he enthusiastically walked on top of the seats at that year's Oscars ceremony to pick up his statuette for Best Actor in the Best Foreign Language winning film, Life is Beautiful. The parallels to Benigni's own life and Woody Allen's focus on the seedy aspects that are lumped in with the glamour of being a celebrity. Each story had its high point, and each added to the overall narrative, but Benigni's was my personal favorite and perhaps had the most to say in regards to society.