TO ROME WITH LOVE

US, 2012, 112 minutes, Colour.
Woody Allen, Judy Davis, Roberto Benigni, Alec Baldwin, Penelope Cruz, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Greta Gerwig, Alison Pill, Alessandro Tiberi, Ornella Muti, Fabio Armiliato, Riccardo Scamacio.
Directed by Woody Allen.

For almost ten years, Woody Allen has been filming around Europe, several times in London, in Spain, in Paris and now he has come to Rome. He has taken as his model those Italian portmanteau films of the 1960s, several stories, intercut but not connected to each other in characters or plots.

One trouble is that the stories are so slight. Perhaps intercutting them makes them seem better than they are when taken separately. The sum is certainly no better than the parts.

There are plenty of wonderful views of Rome. No problem there. And there is a very good cast who do their best with the material.

There are some good one-liners, especially those delivered by Allen himself, with Judy Davis offering wry support as his wife as they are concerned about their daughter planning to marry an Italian. A lot of the comedy here comes with the contrast between the Americans abroad and the Italians at home. This is particularly the case with the Italian father, a mortician who sings beautifully in the shower. Allen is playing a director with avant-garde tendencies and this story develops as the auditions the singer, realizes that he needs the shower to perform well and provides concerts and then Rigoletto with a shower on stage! Tenor Fabio Armiliato proves himself a good sport, singing in the shower (wherever it is, even on stage, mid-opera).

There is a Roberto Benigni short story. He is an ordinary office worker who suddenly becomes a TV celebrity and is followed around reality TV style, even to morning shaving. He speaks what are really platitudes but is hailed as an expert. It cannot last long and doesn’t. It is a pleasure to see Benigni in the kind of role he does well.

The story of the young couple who come to Rome full of hopes and are seduced by some decadence and opportunity, he with a prostitute (Penelope Cruz) who comes to his room by mistake and his young wife who is charmed by one of her favourite actors as she comes to a film set by accident.

There is also a magic realism story – is it happening in the present time with Alec Baldwin something of a ghost from the past or is it a story that parallels his from the past. It concerns an American student, Jesse Eisenberg intense as usual, and his girlfriend, Greta Gerwig, who has the least interesting role despite her talent and an erratic would-be actress (Ellen Page) who turns up at the apartment and turns the students’ head.

Having listed the stories and their casts, there are no great memories except for Allen, Judy Davis and the opera singer. On to Woody Allen’s next film.

1. Woody Allen’s career? This film with Woody Allen at seventy-five, writing, acting, directing?

2. Woody Allen and his infatuation with Europe, the films from the UK, Spain, France? His perspective on Rome?

3. Rome and the postcard views? The settings? The classic Italian films of the 1960s, portmanteau films with many stories?

4. The songs, Volare, Ciri Biri Bin? The opera sequences?

5. Old Italy, the portmanteau cinema, the love of opera, themes of love and fidelity? Tourists in Rome, Americans? The contrast with the locals? Family, meals, customs? Film sets? Stations and hotels? The media and television programs? Business and offices?

6. Woody Allen’s dialogue, the humour, principally with Woody Allen and Judy Davis, the one-liners? The psychological perspectives, pretensions?

7. The interweaving of the four stories? Audience attention?

8. The introduction with the policeman in Rome, later seeing him, his invitation to visit Rome, identify with Rome?

9. Hayley, her being lost, asking directions, walking through the tourist scenes of Rome, romance and comment? Meeting Antonio? Italy and love? Her parents, Phyllis and Jerry, on the plane, Woody Allen jokes about safety in flight, illness? Meeting Antonio, Jerry thinking him leftist? Avant garde? Themes of retirement, comments on death, Antonio’s father being a mortician? The food, the Italian cooking, the father singing in the shower, Woody Allen continuing to talk, being invited to shut up, his incessant talking? His reactions to the singing? The wedding and the plans? The tensions with the parents, American and Italian? The possibility for the father to have a singing career? The opposition of the son? The audition and the failure? Jerry and his career directing, avant garde? The shower recital and the acclaim? His wife supporting him? The dream about Pagliacci, the accomplishment on stage, the comedy with the shower on the opera stage? His finally deciding not to have a singing career? Jerry and the Woody Allen type? Phyllis and her comments, care for her daughter, reactions to her husband, to the Italians, the Judy Davis type? Psychology and her bringing it to bear, especially on Jerry? Love of the arts?

10. Antonio and Milly, Stazione Termini, coming from the countryside, ambitions, marriage, going to the hotel? The anxiety, Milly having her hair done? Anna and her arrival, the interactions with Antonio, her being very forward, the error? His in-laws and their visit? Milly not returning, her getting lost? The plan for Anna to pretend to be Milly? The uncles, the meal, the tour of the gallery, Anna’s wisecracks about her profession? Milly, the film set, encounter with the actress, the interview with the leading man, the meal, socialising, his advances? Her giving in – and the effect? Milly lost, the directions? The hotel sequence, the thief, the upset with the husband and wife, Milly and no regrets, her return to Antonio, their decision to go home?

11. Jack, the architect, revisiting Rome, the memories of his past, searching for past locations? The encounter with Jack, accompanying him? Who was John, a realistic character, the spirit of the past? The future for Jack? Memories, wishes, the parallel stories?

12. Jack, his relationship to Sally? Sally as nice, the bond between them, her decision to welcome her friend to Rome, John and his warnings to Jack, his commentary? Jack as a Woody Allen type, as an architect, relationship with Sally, infatuation with Monica? The initial resistance, going out, change, falling desperately in love, sex, the contrast with Monica, her flightiness, her possibility of enhancing her career?

13. Monica, her character, her talk, relationships, acting, the comment about gay experiences, Victoria and embarrassment? Embellishing her stories? Going out with Jack, dropping names, the hostility of John? The news of her career and going to Tokyo?

14. Leopoldo, his work as a clerk, ordinary, the comments of his fellow workers, mockery? At home, his love for his wife? Breakfast, going to work? The sudden intrusion of the television crew? His home, his car, going to the studio, being interviewed, questions about his breakfast, his shaving and the commentator being present? In the streets, the crowds, the paparazzi? Autographs? Going to the premiere? His wife and her dress, the stockings? The actresses and their allure, attempts at seduction? Leopoldo and his wife, her enjoying the situation, his becoming more bewildered? The TV station and their finding a new subject for interest? The change, Leopoldo and his freedom, his wife and their going to the movie, his need for being a celebrity, asking people about himself?

15. The satire on celebrity, the media, the popular reaction?

16. The themes of Woody Allen comedies – from the past, given a contemporary touch? Italian style?