All Roads Lead to Rome (2016)

Perfect cast and a good story

Absolutely Fantastic

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

No need to give away plot points, since the whole story is absolutely predictable from start to finish. But the way it is peppered with implausible elements, almost offensive sterotypes and clichés, and a totally uninspired direction, make this movie bearable to watch only if you can enjoy unvoluntarily embarrassing, silly moments and scenes. None of the actors seem interested in what they are doing; both Sarah Jessica Parker ad Raoul Bova, elsewhere charming, make you wonder what's even remotely interesting or attractive in the characters the play. And it's quite painful to watch Claudia Cardinale delivering a grotesquely bad acted performance. Close to "so bad, it's good"; alas, it's just bad.

Maggie is an uptight, single mother and college writing teacher from New York City. In an effort to reconnect with her troubled teen daughter Summer, she decides to embark on a journey to a Tuscan village that she frequented in her younger days. Upon arrival, Maggie runs into Luca, a handsome former lover who is still a bachelor and lives with his eighty-year-old mother, Carmen. Summer (missing her "bad boy" boyfriend in NYC) and Carmen (secretly planning a wedding against Luca's wishes to Marcelino, her one true love in Rome) impulsively steal Luca's car and race off to Rome. Maggie and Luca quickly pursue allowing the two mismatched couples to spend some time together and develop a new understanding of each other. Sarah Jessica Parker reaches bottom line with this film, the acting is not that great, her chemistry with her on screen daughter is a gigantic mess, the jokes don't land at all and it's something that we have seen dozens of times before with better actors and better scripts behind them. (0/10)

Maggie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is a divorced college professor in Manhattan. So, her marriage struck out. Now, she is having serious trouble with her 17 year old daughter, Summer (Rosie Day). Summer has chosen a bad boy for a boyfriend and Maggie is at her wit's end trying to discourage her offspring. Finally, in desperation, she drags Summer away to Italy, for maybe an ocean will work wonders, Besides that, Maggie was once a grad student in Tuscany and she wants to revisit a time of happiness. But, ho, what memories indeed. Almost at once, Mags runs into Luca (Raoul Bova), a former flame, who still lives the single life in the country, caring for his 80 year old Mother (Claudia Cardinale). There's electricity in the air between the two who once loved each other. While they are engaging themselves in conversation, Summer steals a car to head back to Rome for a jet plane back home. Riding shotgun is Luca's Mama who wants to meet her fiancé in Rome to get married once and for all. This is against Luca's wishes. The two fugitives find they have much in common and bond quickly while Maggie and Luca speed off to get them back. Will love grow again on a journey to Rome for the one- time lovers? This lovely romantic comedy has so many assets. The cast is great, with Parker always an engaging performer and Bova just a doll. Day and Cardinale are terrific also as the delinquents. Then, what could be more beautiful than the Italian Tuscany, with its put your eyes out glory? With a funny script that is a mixture of languages and a tireless direction, this trip is well worth taking. Romcom fans, all roads lead to enjoyment if you make the trip to find this nice little flick.

"A woman takes what she wants, when she wants it." Maggie (Parker) is starting to lose touch with her daughter Summer (Day). In an effort to reconnect they take a trip to Italy. Maggie sees this as a bonding experience but Summer sees it as punishment and is worried about her boyfriend who she left. When Maggie reconnects with a former love it only enforces Summer's desire to return home and she takes a car, and a grandma, and will stop at nothing to fly home. Maggie will stop at nothing to stop her. This is really not that bad of a movie. Generic and formulaic but still worth seeing and I actually enjoyed watching this. The movie is pretty predictable but it is a romantic comedy so that is to be expected. In terms of chick-flicks I have seen worse and while this is nothing super outstanding it was better than I was expecting and I laughed quite a bit. Overall, nothing original or unexpected but still worth your time. Much better than I was expecting. I give this a B.