(Leggere in Italiano) When I first learned that Woody Allen was to film a new project set in Rome I was filled with impatience to see it. After having been enchanted by his last gem “Midnight in Paris” and after having glimpsed the trailer of “To Rome with Love” (knowing that there were lots of Italian actors, including Roberto Benigni that spoke their lines in Italian) my excitement to see Allen’s new cinemagraphic pearl was very high.

I almost went to see the movie on opening night at my local theater. However, the first showing was set for midnight on Friday. I like staying up late but this time I wasn’t going to stand in long lines at the box office, only to miss the chance to see the film because a bunch of other people ahead of me had the same idea. So to avoid the crazy crowds, my husband and I decided to go the next night at 7pm. We arrived at the theater an hour and a half early to get our tickets. Very clever of me, no? When I asked the guy at the box office if he thought there would be a problem getting in to see the film, he replied…”but lady, you are the first person to buy tickets for tonights showing.” Great, I thought. How absolutely brilliant of me to think about buying tickets early!

We went out to eat and scarfed down our food in order to get back to the theater quickly. When we went to find seats we expected to see the theater already full and good seating difficult to find…and instead…not so much! The theater was completely empty. We were the only ones inside. My husband before taking himself off to the candy counter to buy me M&Ms (the essential candy to watch any film) whispered to me that he had rented the theater for just the two of use for a private viewing. It almost seemed the case…until a couple of stragglers started to wander in to keep us company. Evidently, if you are not an “italiophile” this film isn’t going to attract the crazy big crowds that Spiderman and The Avengers bring in!

What can I say about the film? The cinematography was beautiful. Breathtaking. I practically swooned when I first saw the familiar images of Rome. Seeing the city has the same effect upon me as seeing a handsome film star like Johnny Depp or George Clooney. I know the city so well; the golden light, the streets, the monuments, the streets of Trastevere and the spot in front of
the Monument to the Patria where the traffic guard speaks at the beginning of the film. Rome seems like an old friend and a visceral part of me. And when the actors spoke dialogue after dialogue in Italian I was in seventh heaven. In this way the film did not betray me. But, and there is always a “but”, I can’t say that the story line, or actually the “story lines” had the same effect on me. Instead they were a confused collection of silly ramblings and not very well thought out. I read somewhere on the internet, and I agree, that watching the film was like watching an episode of “Love Boat” with Woody Allen as Captain Stubing.

The film was lighthearted but unfortunately, much like how the character that Allen portrays is described at the end: imbecilic. While there was something rather interesting in the story of Eisenburg and Baldwin dealing with the nostalgia of moments passed in Rome during one’s youth, I don’t think that it was explored that deeply. For the rest I would have liked to have seen a tighter weaving together of the stories and I would have liked to see Rome more as a protagonist rather than just a beautiful back drop of unconnected random events. Even though I remained a bit disappointed by Allen’s story, the film succeeded in making me heartsick for Italy and made me nostalgic for Rome. If I weren’t about to depart for Italy next month I would really be in terrible state of Italy-sickness!