TO ROME WITH LOVE
Directed by Woody Allen
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Roberto Benigni, Alec Baldwin
Part of the charm of last years Midnight in Paris was how simply yet elegantly Woody Allen executed his cautionary tale about the perils of nostalgia. In his latest travelogue, Allen fails to similarly introduce a strong central theme to function as his films fulcrum. Consequently, youre often left to wonder what the point of all this is.
Rather fittingly, the omnibus comedy opens with an Italian traffic cop struggling to maintain order on Romes busy streets. Similarly, Allen labours to keep his various story strands from becoming a snarl. Alas, most of these narratives dont really go anywhere. A typically impressive ensemble cast has been assembled and then saddled with potentially amusing scenarios that are all set-up, no payoff.
In one, an average citizen (Roberto Benigni) awakens to find the entire nation watching his every move. Another sees a sweet-natured young man (Alessandro Tiberi) forced to pretend that a prostitute (Penélope Cruz) is his wife. And Allen steps in front of the camera to play a retired opera director who discovers that a future in-law (Fabio Armiliato) is a world-class tenor who can only perform in the shower. (Feel free to yawn at any point in time.)
The sole highlight is the tale of middle-aged John (Alec Baldwin) trying to keep the younger Jack (Jesse Eisenberg) from hurtling headlong into the same mistakes he made. While admittedly slight, its cleverly conceived and sturdily constructed. Furthermore, Johns mounting frustration over his powerlessness to stop history from repeating allows for some genuine emotion to enrich this otherwise frivolous enterprise.
Curtis Woloschuk
