To Rome with Love

To Rome With Love

Woody Allen is at his best in this film. If you are a Woody Allen fan you will love all of the antics and nonsense. I had such fun and caught myself laughing out loud many times. All the common elements of a Woody Allen film are present. Woody Allen plays a character that is very much like him. The misguided romances and the philosophical statements about life and death are present. His wife in the film is a psychiatrist. Some of the action is so silly but I just thought it was such fun. Several stories are enacted concurrently.

If you like the city of Rome you will be delighted with the background scenes. Woody Allen plays the part of Jerry. He is unhappily retired from producing operas and wishes he was back at work .His wife tells him he equates retirement with death. He and his wife travel to Rome to meet their daughter’s new fiancée and his parents. Michelangelo is the boyfriend. Right from the start there is conflict with the politics and philosophy of the boyfriend. Jerry calls him a communist. He states,” I don’t believe in sharing. I don’t even share a bathroom.”

His parents provide much humor. The father is an undertaker. He sings magnificently in the shower. Jerry thinks he has a glorious career ahead singing opera. The problem is he can only sing comfortably in the shower. It is absolutely hysterical to see this man on stage singing opera. At all his performances a shower cabin is wheeled onstage and the singer scrubs himself and showers as he gloriously sings the arias. Ridiculous but very funny.

I think Allen is a genius. He has woven three other plots into this film.

A young Italian couple comes to Rome on their honeymoon. They plan to meet with his relatives and to possibly take a job in Rome. The wife goes out looking for a hairdresser. She gets lost. By mistake a prostitute (Penelope Cruz) arrives at his door. She is in a seductive short dress. The relatives arrive at the same time and he has to pretend she is his wife. The relatives are overly conservative. Penelope Cruz is dressed to play her part of a prostitute. The wife is lost in Rome and wanders on a movie set. She is enamored with a leading man who happens to be portly and bald. He invites her back to his hotel.

There is a lot of romping around.

Roberto Benigni plays the role of a plain little man totally overlooked by society. The word ’nebbish’ comes to mind. He suddenly becomes famous and all the TV shows want to interview him. He is chased by the paparazzi. He has nothing to say but overnight he becomes a hero. It lasts for a short time and then a new hero is discovered. Poor Leopoldo (Benigni) is back again being overlooked by everyone. Bgnigni is a real character actor. He is very funny. His plain dull appearance works in his favor in this role. He is amazing.

Jesse Eisenberg plays the part of Jack, an architectural student. He lives in Rome with his girlfriend, Sally. Sally announces that her friend, Monica has just left a relationship and is coming to visit. Ellen Page is an upcoming starlet. She is fantastic in her role of Monica. She becomes a little temptress and is very explicit in her talk about her past sexual encounters.

Alec Baldwin obviously loved his role as a famous architect. He becomes a mythical friend to Jack. He advises him and warns him about his actions. His role is  like the storyteller. He keeps popping up in the middle of scenes to advise Jack.

I think the film is so creative. Woody Allen has not lost his touch.