6/10
We have seen Woody Allen’s multiple love letters to New York
City, London, Barcelona, and Paris; now he sets his satirical eye on the
ancient city of Rome. Starting halfway
through the previous decade, Woody Allen altered his standard oeuvre from
mostly comedic farce with a dash of autobiographical drama set amongst towering
New York skyscrapers to films set in major European centers where the city
itself is almost its own character.
Barcelona nudged its way into the love triangle of Vicky Christina Barcelona
and Paris’s nightclubs and streets were a central character along with Ernest
Hemingway and Gertrude Stein in Midnight in Paris. In To Rome with Love, Woody is even
less subtle about his intentions by loudly proclaiming in the film’s title what
he is up to.
There are multiple stories entering and exiting the stage
with even more characters; however, unlike the majority of films which juggle
numerous plot lines, these do not intersect; they exist by themselves and
involve their own unique Roman characteristics.
There is John (Alec Baldwin) who chooses to retrace his former life as a
young man in Rome 30 years ago and ends up having a very interesting encounter
with Jack (Jesse Eisenberg), Sally (Greta Gerwig), and the flippant Monica
(Ellen Page). John has seen it all
before and sets himself up as a Greek Chorus variant to the younger crowd. By the end of their section, every man in the
audience over 30 should be nodding their heads in agreement about the Sally vs.
Monica pros and cons. Their love
triangle is a convenient excuse to insert the ancient ruins and architecture which
you knew must fit somewhere in the film.
Hayley (Alison Pill) is in her early 20s and fulfills one of
the ultimate lost tourist clichés in Rome; she bumps into Michelangelo (Flavio
Parenti), falls in love, and decides to spend the rest of her life in
Italy. Upon hearing the news, Hayley’s
parents, Phyllis (Judy Davis) and Jerry (Allen), jet over to Rome to meet this
guy and survey the situation. In his
typical Woody Allen way, Jerry has a lot to say about the turbulence on the
flight over, sizes up Michelangelo as a Communist, and can barely stand the
irony that Michelangelo’s father, Giancarlo (Fabio Armiliato), is an
undertaker. Leave it to Woody to be able
to fit his absolute phobia of death and all its accompaniments into a film
about Rome. This particular film segment
uses Roman opera as its backdrop with a very clever farce involving singing in
the shower.
The most blatant comedic segment in the film is Leopoldo
(Roberto Benigni). He is just a regular
working stiff who wakes up at the same time every morning, eats his toast, goes
to work, engages in water cooler talk, and comes home. One day, Leopoldo starts getting chased by
obsessive paparazzi and screaming autograph seekers wherever he goes who want
to know what he likes on his toast, how he shaves, and whether he is a boxers
or briefs man. There is no reason for his
sudden fame explosion which confuses Leopoldo all the more. This also confused the old ladies sitting
next to me; however, this was a brilliant way for Allen to skewer the celebrity
fetish. Some people are famous for just
being famous even though they have accomplished absolutely nothing.
It seems Woody Allen used his most recent European love
letter to fit in some messages he has had stirring around his brain for a
little bit. He tackles the odd
fascination with know- and do-nothing celebrities, the appeal of going after
the vapid and attractive female even though you know she is ridiculous and it
will only end badly, and what I suppose is a critique of not being a prude at
the beginning of marriage. Milly
(Alessandra Mastronardi) and Antonio (Alessandro Tiberi) have just arrived in
Rome after their wedding to start their new life. Through a silly and contrived sequence of
events which only serve to set up a ridiculous situation, Antonio winds up with
a stunningly gorgeous prostitute, Anna (Penelope Cruz), and Milly winds up
tempted by her most favorite actor in the world. This particular part of the film does not
work too well but it does provide plenty of laughs as inappropriately clad Anna
visits the Vatican.
To Rome with Love is not among the top tier of Woody Allen’s
decade long infatuation with filming in European locales (Midnight in Paris) but it
is certainly not the worst (Scoop). Weaving in and out of these disconnected plot
lines is fun and most of them are quite enjoyable. Using Rome and all of its wonderful settings
to tie all of his characters together easily helps out what will most likely
become one of the more middle of the road and average Wood Allen pictures. However, it is worth noting than an average
Woody Allen film is head and shoulders above what is playing down the street in
your local multiplex right now.
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