Review of To Rome with Love (2012) by Matt D — 25 Mar 2013

As someone who was head over heels in love with 'Midnight in Paris' I was greatly looking forward to Woody Allen's follow up film but somehow missed it until just now. Judging from previous reactions I knew it wasn't going to be on the level of 'Paris' and that certainly proved to be the case. Where 'Midnight in Paris' utilized the magic of the city to tell its story, 'To Rome With Love' merely treats it as a setting with little real impact on the story beyond pretty scenery.

I was struck by how much of this film is focused and comments on today's media and entertainment world. To a point I almost think these stories could have been better told in Los Angeles, but perhaps that would be hitting it too hard on the head. Either way there is a disconnect here that left me feeling that the setting was underutilized.

Is it bad movie? No. As with any Allen flick, its almost always watchable with moments of funny charm popping up here and there to keep things moving. This isn't his sharpest screenplay by a mile but it has some nice Allen trademarks and enough laughs to make for a pleasant little viewing even if you won't remember much of it tomorrow.