Woody Allen's Love Affair With Europe Continues In This Disjointed Mess Of A Motion Picture

Rating: Null/10 (8 October 2013)

Not amongst Woody Allen's finest works but still exhibiting some charm, fun & delight of an Allen film, To Rome with Love is a collection of four story lines that are totally unrelated to each other that deals with themes of adultery, fame, fantasy & other stuffs and while it lacks the element of surprise, it still makes up for a pleasant, light-hearted entertainment.
The story of To Rome with Love follows four intertwined but unrelated narratives. The first is about a clerk who wakes up one day to find himself a national celebrity. The second follows an architect who's reminiscing his student years in the streets of Rome. The third concerns a young couple who are on their honeymoon, and the last one is about a girl's parents who arrive in Italy to meet the family of her fiancé.
Written & directed by Woody Allen, To Rome with Love continues the esteemed filmmaker's love affair with European cities and finds him photographing Rome & all its rich beauty in a colourful manner. The plot looks as if Allen came up with four different ideas for a story set in Rome and decided to include all of them into one without offering any connection whatsoever which turns the whole experience into a wonderment for what exactly was his purpose here.
These quadruple snippets aren't compelling either for the different plots just unfold without any sense of direction or any sort of interconnection. Cinematography is a real highlight for the camera gorgeously captures the lush wonders of Rome, made all the more beautiful by its exquisite use of colour palette & bright lighting. The film also offers some laughs over the course of its runtime but none of its amusing moments stays around once the end credits start rolling.
Coming to the performances, the movie features a star-studded ensemble in Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig & Ellen Page and although none of them leave a lasting impression, the sum of parts isn't all too shabby. But it's not the actors who are to be blamed since their scripted characters doesn't have any meat on them. Also, a few of them actually try to make up for that shortcoming by chipping in with some effort that never quite pays off.
On an overall scale, To Rome with Love sounds like one of those flicks that was crafted just as an excuse to make something in the city of Rome. It sure qualifies as a wonderful ode to this attractive European destination but the story is a disappointment, even if there are few laughs to be had in between, plus every character inhabiting it only feels incomplete in one way or another. Frustrating at times but never really boring, To Rome with Love is funny in little doses plus has its moments but as a whole, it lacks the inventiveness of Woody Allen's best works.