Rome, with Love

neongardener9 said:Yeah, he finally showed up. Woody is being far too clever 👍 letting that nonsense speak for itself, and if you can't see that, then you're just not paying attention.:P

Woody is basically trying to play a clarinet when he’s clearly just a chicken.

You clearly don't get it 😁 never mind

You clearly don't 😁

I’m not even sure how to label this flick, maybe just—wacky? 🤷

The plot involving Begnin was an absolute riot for me. It’s basically a loud, blunt satire on how much the media messes with people's heads in today's world, but hey, it was a blast regardless. Another huge win was seeing the gorgeous Penélope Cruz 😍

Everything else was just... meh. The whole movie feels like a bunch of random postcards from Rome featuring a few different little stories that are mostly, like I said, just wacky, but there’s zero depth or actual substance to them. The characters are totally bland and forgettable; I didn't care about them one bit and they just didn't move me at all. I have absolutely no reason to ever revisit this movie because it just didn't hit home for me in any way. You can see a few recurring themes that pop up throughout Allen's career (mostly through the lens of Allen's and Baldwin's characters), but honestly, I've seen it all before.

Bottom line, it's a decent enough watch if you want something light with a couple of bright spots, but compared to the rest of Woody Allen's filmography, it’s actually a pretty weak entry.

6/10, being generous.

Grace Sanders24 said:Then you absolutely have to check out this one too. It’s identical to Midnight in Paris, even if it's set in Rome instead. A total feast for the eyes and ears. 🙂

It might be identical in concept, but the actual content is totally different. Midnight in Paris is all about that tug-of-war between reality and escapism, whereas this movie is just a collection of stories tied together by being autobiographical. It jumps from memories of first loves through Baldwin's character, past wives, fame, and finally his current situation.

While I was watching, I kept thinking to myself, "Finally, a Woody Allen film I can unhesitatingly call bad." But looking back on it now, I actually have a positive impression again. Who knows? There's something sort of beautifully sad about the idea of forcing a gravedigger to become an artist just so he can keep working. 😢

It would have been better if he had never recorded it. 😢