To Rome With Love

“To Rome With Love”  was written and directed  by Woody Allen and, with him, stars Judy Davis, Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Robert Benigni and Penelope Cruz. This will not be recognized as one of Mr. Allen’s better films and certainly in no competition to “Midnight In Paris”. In his obvious love affair with the Italian capitol, Mr. Allen helps the movie by making the romance and beauty of the city come alive amidst the escapades of its stars in various and unrelated stories but the thread, thin as it is, is Rome. Though the film’s dialogue and direction are a tribute to the creative talents of Mr. Allen, there are elements in the film that are not. Funny story twists that are humorous when first seen become annoying when repeated unnecessarily. One other factor should be noted and that is the performance of Mr. Allen himself. Were he not the infamous writer/director, no casting person would have placed him in the film.   Allen’s reputation precedes each sequence in which he appears and when he does nothing notable or even mediocre, disappointment sets in as he “steals the scene” in that he robs the audience of all the other fine elements in it. Having written all of this, the film stands a cut above those presently playing and, as someone said, an “OK”  Woody Allen film is still better than another’s good one. Yes, individually, the film has some problems, i.e. Allen’s acting, a disjointed series of stories, unnecessarily repetitive humor, etc. but, added together,  the sum is much greater and more worthwile than its individual parts. I give the film 2 and ¾  stars. You may be somewhat disappointed but you definitely will be entertained.