with Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris, Deconstructing Harry), Alec Baldwin (The Cooler), Roberto Benigni (Life is Beautiful), Penélope Cruz (Sin Noticias de Dios, Non Ti Muovere), Judy Davis (Deconstructing Harry), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Solitary Man), Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page (Juno), Fabio Armiliata, Alessandra Mastronardi, Alison Pill (Milk), Carol Alt, Flavio Parenti (I Am Love), Fabio Armiliato (amazing tenor, fascinating!)
Woody Allen plays a father meeting his daughter's Italian in-laws to-be in this ensemble comedy that interweaves four tales set in Rome. Other cast members include Roberto Benigni as a man mistaken for a film star.
Every year, there is the Allen season, a season where the new Woody Allen movie comes out. It never misses. Last year was Midnight in Paris, very good, well written, the script was intelligent, the dialogues witty, with a touch of nostalgia and romanticism, almost French.
This time, Woody Allen brought us to another capital of romanticism, Roma. What was so successful about his previous movie failed in that one. The sense of humor is still there, but feels forced, the storyline is very confusing, with a feeling that these bits and pieces have been imagined separately and forced together. Some scenes are inventive and absolutely hilarious, (this is the good thing about Woody Allen, you end up laughing out loud, very healthy). Then you have all the other moments, where you wait until something happens that reconnects you to the story. It is overacted, Comedia Del Arte style, with some twists and turns of the story, more or less surreal, and I guess it is impossible to direct Roberto Benigni, he is himself a character, and honestly, you like him or not, I found him exuberant and exhausting. Also another thing, the ending, too long. He could just have had a finish with the ending of the opera, but no, he kept on going...
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