Not exceptionally bad or very good.

Rating: 4/10 (17 June 2013)

A Woody Allen film with multiple story threads set in Rome. Allen's recent offerings have been a bit hit and miss. I'm embarrassed to say this, but I actually enjoyed Midnight in Paris where Owen Wilson managed to produce a good performance. Unlike that 2011 feature, To Rome With Love is devoid of any charm or the snappy dialogue and finessed editing of Allen's older films.
I think the main issue comes down to the cast. With half the film spoken in Italian, the Italian cast do a good job of showcasing the frenetic energy of Rome and with comedic elements thrown into the mix these scenes are enjoyable to watch. In stark contrast to this, the sequences in English with the American cast are just painful to watch.
The dull performance from Jesse Eisenberg had me hoping he would be killed off early so I wouldn't have to endure his presence on screen. The same can be said for Ellen Page, who rolls out her usual quirky act that just leaves me cold. To date I haven't enjoyed any of Eisenberg's films and Page was fantastic in Hard Candy, entertaining in Super but just insipid throughout all her scenes here.
Alec Baldwin did his usual charming old man routine and for the most part he was the most entertaining English speaking participant.
Had the whole film been in Italian I think it would have worked much better, I have no idea what Allen was aiming for with this film but it falls short of being a full blown comedy or romantic piece. The idiosyncratic elements that littered his early work are still present, like the story of a worker who wakes up to find himself a celebrity for no apparent reason, but the rest of the film takes the edge off these amusing tableaux.