TO ROME WITH LOVE

Midnight In Paris was good partly because it discussed themes like nostalgia with a insightful and charming yet light hand. As opposed to the postcard-esque efforts of To Rome With Love, which doesn’t discuss much, apart from the occasional clever glimpse at Woody Allen’s possible motivation for making the film in the first place. As Judy Davis’ character puts it to her husband, played by Allen, “You equate retirement with death.”

The plot follows the stories of a rural newly-wed couple (Alessandro Tiberi and Alessandra Mastronardi), an American architect (Alec Baldwin), and an office worker (Roberto Benigni). As each narrative unfolds (within differently-spaced lapses of time), more characters are introduced. The provincial newlywed couple encounters a larger-than-life Call Girl (Penelope Cruz) and the architect runs into the younger version of himself; an architecture student (Jesse Eisenberg) who lives with his girlfriend (Greta Gerwig) and her visiting temptress of a friend (Ellen Page). While much of the cast give restrained and expertly satirical performances, most have little to work with. The resulting package comes off rusty, with  meandering dad jokes dragged out for an uncomfortable length of time. Rome however, has never looked better. (JM) **1/2