Once again Woody Allen brings to us a neurotic romantic comedy, and once again I found it to be not great but certainly not grating. "To Rome with Love" is a mosaic ode to love set in one of the most romantic places in the world. Starring a who's who of American actors both new and old, ranging from Alec Baldwin and Penelope Cruz to Jesse Eisenberg and Ellen Page, Woody's newest effort stands to be his most star-studded to date.
I suppose that's where the hype begins to level off. Despite it's star-riddled cast, "To Rome with Love" manages to merely mildly entertain all the while oozing that neurotic Woody charm that borders on being unbearably annoying. Yet, much like the elderly relative(s) that we have all begrudgingly dealt with over the years, it's hard not to succumb to his whiny yet charming mannerisms. Despite Woody himself being a broken record throughout the film, the rest of the cast serves to exhibit the various stages of love.
Ranging from that initial puppy lust phase, to the newlywed couple trying to find their way in the world, to the old curmudgeons who have been through thick and thin, Woody manages to paint a rather diverse picture of what it means to be in a relationship. Unfortunately, the different aspects of the film exhibit mere flashes of unrealistic portrayals rather than a singular cohesive message. Given the title, if the movie were an actual letter addressed to Rome it'd be a sloppily written one at that with disjointed thoughts strewn throughout.
That's not to say that the film doesn't have it's enjoyable moments, but it's simply a half-hearted effort especially given the cast and the man behind the lens. Easily the most interesting aspect of this ho-hum affair was the juxtaposition between the mundane story arcs that exist and the magical elements that are strewn throughout. Alec Baldwin's character (John) is utilized mainly as a "Great Gazoo" of sorts, appearing and disappearing intermittently to head warnings to Jack (Eisenberg) and his unknowing pursuit of infidelity.
Despite these flashes of absurdly quirky elements, the rest of the film remains devoutly neurotic --- a cornerstone we have come to expect from Allen himself. The four separate vignettes while interesting in their own unique ways, when strewn together they just create a hodgepodge of banality. Even if half of the vignettes panned out to be noteworthy, the other two would have dragged this entire film down regardless. For a movie like this to work, all four segments must be equally engaging and unfortunately that just isn't the case.
Aside from the striking beauty of Rome jumping off the screen in high def goodness, the blu ray release of "To Rome with Love" also has a short documentary feature entitled "Con Amore: A Passion For Rome". Yet, aside from this featurette, there's little else in the way of extras. Not even a commentary track? For shame Woody.
Film: 2.5 Yaps Extras: 2 Yaps
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIbYqxqtP38]