REVIEW: To Rome With Love

To Rome With Love (2012): Written and directed by: Woody Allen. Starring: Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Alessandra Mastronardi, Ellen Page and Alessandro Tiberi. Rated R (Various infidelities). Running time: 121 minutes.

 2 stars (out of four)

Woody Allen’s tour of Europe continues with To Rome With Love, a collection of vignettes about tourists and locals in Rome that feels less like a love letter to the city than a justification for Woody’s traveling. The film, though not without its amusing moments, is an awkward jumble of comic sketches that fail to add up to a cohesive whole.

We meet Hayley (Alison Pill), a New Yorker on holiday for the summer, who asks for directions from Michelangelo (Flavio Parenti), a dashing Roman. After no time at all (more specifically, after a brief sight-seeing montage), the two are engaged and arrange a meeting of the future in-laws. Mr. Allen himself returns to acting playing his usual crotchety self and delivering some stale one-liners as Jerry, Hayley’s father.

Jerry is a retired classical music producer and when he overhears Michelangelo’s father (opera singer Fabio Armiliato) belting in the shower, he insists the man has a gift that must be shared with the world. This idea is met with sarcastic scorn from Jerry’s wife (Judy Davis) who shrewdly observes Jerry is simply bored and looking for an opportunity to relive the glory days. This storyline eventually peters out into a one-joke bit that is worth a chuckle the first time you see it but quickly gets old.

A characteristically animated Roberto Benigni stars in a similarly one-note story as an everyday joe who inexplicably becomes a national celebrity overnight. Paparazzi mob him outside his home: “What did you eat for breakfast?” they ask him in an excited commotion. “Do you take your bread toasted or untoasted?” And so on, and so on.

In another episode, a newlywed couple, Milly (Alessandra Mastronardi) and Antonio (Alessandro Tiberi), get separated and subsequently embark on parallel sexual indiscretions; Milly with a movie star (Antonio Albanese) and Antonio with prostitute (a criminally underused Penélope Cruz). Their stories meander for a while in mildly farcical territory but don’t really go anywhere.

The only narrative that does progress and develop an actual arc features Jesse Eisenberg as Jack, a young architect living in Rome with his girlfriend Sally (a barely seen Greta Gerwig). Sally has invited her best friend Monica (Ellen Page), a notorious seductress, to stay over their place and visit. “Don’t fall in love with her,” she tells Jack, which is really another way of saying, “You’re going to fall in love with her.”

Eavesdropping on the developing love triangle is John (Alec Baldwin), a famed architect Jack recognizes on the street and invites to his apartment. John, as it turns out, once lived on this very block when he was Jack’s age. Indeed, Jack may even be a young incarnation of himself. (Or is John a future incarnation of Jack?) At any rate, Woody Allen has fun letting John stroll in and out of scenes like a one-man Greek chorus in Jack’s mind, warning him of the trouble he is about to get into while also conceding the inevitable. He was young once too and easily tempted by charming girls like Monica.

Jesse Eisenberg and Ellen Page are well suited to the fast-talking neuroses of Mr. Allen’s characters and though their dialogue is far from Mr. Allen’s best writing, the pair have a way of making their lines sound snappier than they actually are. This is Woody Allen Lite (he has crafted much more subtle and interesting tales of infidelity in the past) but it is still the best offering here.

The title of this movie is curious. Woody Allen’s last film, Midnight in Paris, told an enchanting story set in the City of Lights that also found plenty of time to indulge in the scenery. It evoked the magic of the city (literally) as well as Mr. Allen’s adoration of it. To Rome With Love feels obligatory. Often Woody Allen seems to be padding for time and he overwrites a lot of scenes, beating a joke into the ground or, worse, explaining why it’s funny. I’ve never been to Rome but I imagine it deserves better.

- Steve Avigliano, 7/9/12

LIST: The Best Films of 2008

For various reasons, it took me a while to catch up with last year’s releases, and I’ve only just finished watching 2008’s more prominent films. Fortunately, just about all of these movies are now out on DVD for your renting, Netflixing, or I suppose, torrenting pleasure. Since the list is arriving late, I thought I’d make this part 1 of a two-part post. The following are my Top 10 films of 2008, with my favorites of the first half of 2009 to be posted in the coming days.

Honorable Mention - a few films that just missed the list, but I still feel a great deal of respect or affection for:

Doubt for creating drama out of the unsaid and the ambiguous.

Gran Torino because Clint Eastwood growled (and unfortunately sung) in an excellent performance.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall for introducing non-HIMYM fans to Jason Segal’s smart, self-deprecating brand of humor.

Revolutionary Road for its brutal depiction of broken dreams in suburbia.

Synecdoche, New York because it’s confusing, maddening, possibly brilliant -- and I’m still not sure how I feel about it.

And now, the list...

10) Burn After Reading

I never had much intention of seeing Burn After Reading a second time, but it was on TV and thought I’d watch the first few scenes. Ninety-six immensely enjoyable minutes later I realized I had watched the whole thing straight through again. I used to say I wasn’t a fan of the Coen Brothers’ slapstick comedies, but this is a slick ride through a series of misunderstandings, coincidences and absurdities that moves so effortlessly it’s no wonder I didn’t notice I’d watched the whole thing again. Burn After Reading has a fantastic ensemble cast and is the second Coen Brothers film in a row (No Country For Old Men) to feature virtually perfect editing.

9) Slumdog Millionaire

Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) proved here that despite working within starkly different genres, he has a kinetic visual and storytelling style all his own. The film bounces from the comedic to the tragic in a touchingly human story that proves the strength of emotion (and game shows) across cultures. Jai Ho all the way.

8) Vicky Cristina Barcelona

This breezy film from Woody Allen may have the feel of a minor work from the prolific writer/director, but it’s not to be dismissed. The film is one the best latter-day Allen films: an examination of interpersonal relationships affected by adultery with a healthy dose of cynicism. Pénelope Cruz steals countless scenes in an Oscar winning role, but it’s Rebecca Hall’s breakout performance that had me hooked. Add some beautiful shots of scenic Barcelona and crackling writing from Mr. Allen and you’ve got a film that is very hard to resist.

7) Waltz With Bashir

This “animated documentary” from Israel follows a filmmaker through a series of interviews in pursuit of memories from his days in the Israeli army during the Lebanon War of 1982. Using a stylish animation (“Not rotoscoping!” insists the animator on the film’s DVD) to bring former soldier’s accounts to life, Waltz With Bashir is an explosion of color and shape. It examines how the human mind deals with war and what happens to those memories years later. An emotional and intelligent film, equal parts war action and psychology.

6) In Bruges

Deepest apologies to Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Pineapple Express (both of which I enjoyed), but In Bruges is my favorite comedy of 2008. The blackest of comedies, this is a foul-mouthed, violent movie about two hitmen killing (pardon the pun) time in the tiny tourist trap of Bruges, Belgium. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson boast the comfort of a classic comedy duo in their banter and Ralph Fiennes shows up at the end for an extended cameo that brings the film to bloody, but oh so wonderful finale. For those who love the politically incorrect or hearing the f-bomb in an Irish accent, a better film doth not exist.

5) Happy-Go-Lucky

A charming character study of the carefree and seemingly air headed Poppy (Sally Hawkins in an energetic and absorbing performance). Largely improvised, Happy-Go-Lucky follows Poppy as she hangs out with her friends, teaches kindergarteners, dates and (most memorably) gets driving lessons from an authoritarian instructor (Eddie Marson). Avoiding a standard plot, writer/director Mike Leigh chooses to follow several threads of Poppy’s life, in an effort to show all sides of her. The final result is not only representative of Poppy’s life, but also rings true on a more basic, human level. It is, at turns, laugh-out-loud funny and quietly poignant.

4) The Wrestler

The fourth film from Darren Aronofsky departs from such highly stylized films as Pi and Requiem for a Dream, choosing instead to simply observe its subjects. The film immerses the viewer in an honest portrayal of the life of a (fictional) former pro-wrestling star, Randy “The Ram” Robinson. Despite the sometimes brutal violence that occurs in the ring, The Wrestler reveals pro-wrestling to be a supportive community of men that share a common interest and the film gets to the heart of what this man wants and needs in his life. I became more emotionally involved in Mickey Rourke’s performance in The Wrestler than any other this year, following his elation and depression with strong emotions of my own. The film examines how people can extend "fake" personas into their personal lives, and the very real effects that result. Exceptionally written, brutally directed and brilliantly acted.

3) Milk

By seamlessly combining historical footage with its dramatized portrayal of gay rights activist Harvey Milk, Milk has an authenticity few biopics possess. Director Gus Van Sant moves the movie at a fast pace, but finds the time to closely examine a man during a politically charged moment in history. Both entertaining and informative, Milk is an enjoyable experience that holds huge relevance for the current times. It also features a superb performance from Sean Penn who always impresses me by absorbing himself so thoroughly in his roles and a strong supporting role from Josh Brolin who has been building an impressive body of work as of late.

2) WALL-E

No other film this year showed more creativity both visually and narratively than WALL-E. It’s a touching story wrapped in an intelligent science-fiction film and might just be Pixar’s finest yet (although I still hold a candle for Finding Nemo). The environmental message never upstages the innocent romance that takes cues from old Hollywood films. WALL-E also pays tribute to such sci-fi classics as 2001. It is a hybrid of all these things, but mostly it’s just irresistibly charming.

1) The Dark Knight

There are very few things I can say about The Dark Knight without resorting to hyperbole or repeating what seem to have become clichés (“the greatest superhero film ever!” “a gripping crime epic!” “iconic!”). All of those things are true, but The Dark Knight gets my #1 spot because it is the most entertaining film this year. Because it is smart and stylish and just plain awesome. Because it has more quotable and memorable scenes than any other movie in recent memory. Because it unearthed an excitement in me not felt since childhood. As a fan of Batman, movies in general, and all of American pop culture, I embrace The Dark Knight with cape-soaring, coin-flipping, pencil-stabbing glee!

- Steve Avigliano, 7/31/09