Woody Allen has done well on the European continent. Last year's Midnight in Paris was Allen's most successful film in years, the indie hit of the summer. 2008 brought Vicky Cristina Barcelona, another highlight in the past decade or so of his work, at least in my opinion. Allen's never had two back-to-back hits in a row, but perhaps he could start with To Rome with Love, which is coming out June 22.
The movie features one of Allen's trademark ensemble casts. I took a few looks at the trailer to lay out the friendships and relationships.
- Woody Allen and Judy Davis are a couple.
- Allison Pill is Allen's daughter, who is dating an Italian boy (Flavio Parenti) Allen finds very inappropriate.
- Alec Baldwin is father to Jesse Eisenberg.
- Eisenberg is dating Greta Gerwig, whose friend Ellen Page is staying with them--and has the hots for Eisenberg.
- Penelope Cruz is a prostitute.
- Roberto Benigni (Life is Beautiful) plays a man who is suddenly, inexplicably famous.
The odds are against To Rome with Love being as good as Midnight in Paris, but the picture looks charming and has an age-diverse cast (without any accompanying May-December romances!) designed to bring in viewers young and old. Plus, his "postcard" films benefit from his treatment of cities as an character, making these movies appealing solely as a travelogue. With Allen, though, you can never tell about a film until you see it from start to finish.
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