To Rome with Love

To Rome with Love marks Woody Allen’s first film since staging a comeback (of sorts) with the vastly entertaining Midnight in Paris, and it is, as such, disappointing to note that the movie, which admittedly does start out with some promise, ultimately becomes just as aimless and tedious as such recent Allen failures as Whatever Works and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. Set, of course, entirely in Rome, To Rome with Love details the exploits of several disparate characters as they confront a variety of issues in and around Italy’s famed capital city – with, for example, the movie following Roberto Benigni’s Leopoldo as he becomes an overnight celebrity for no discernible reason and Jesse Eisenberg’s Jack as he’s forced to choose between his girlfriend (Greta Gerwig’s Sally) and his girlfriend’s best pal (Ellen Page’s Monica). There’s no arguing that Allen does a terrific job of instantly drawing the viewer into the lighthearted proceedings, as the filmmaker offers up a fast-paced and jaunty feel that’s reflected in, among other things, the uniformly charismatic performances and irresistibly animated score. The easygoing vibe persists right up until around the halfway mark, after which point it does become more and more difficult to comfortably swallow the increasingly surreal nature of some of these subplots – with, especially, the entire Benigni tale wearing out its welcome to an almost astonishing degree (ie it’s just silly). It doesn’t help, either, that the movie suffers from a midsection that is, for the most part, meandering to the point of distraction, with the spinning-its-wheels atmosphere paving the way for a final third that is, to put it mildly, somewhat anticlimactic (ie it’s impossible to work up the slightest interest in the exploits of a man who can only sing well in the shower). The end result is as uneven and erratic an effort as Allen as ever released, which is a shame, certainly, given the strength of its opening half hour.

** out of ****