BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
Woody Allen is a mad man. He puts out a new movie every year and 10 out of 9 times, they’re good movies. Woody’s stuff can be hit or miss in terms of greatness, but it hits every single time in terms of a quality, well done and enjoyable film. They’ll say “even bad pizza is good because it’s pizza”, but I’ve had some bad and unenjoyable pizza. Of the thirty plus Woody Allen movies I’ve seen it’s always good. This latest 2012 movie continues the streak. In “To Rome with Love” Woody takes his storytelling to Rome with a multi-storied collage of different kinds of love. Basically, the formula and set up is like one of those Gary Marshall “Valentine’s Day” movies with little stories put together. The difference is that Allen’s stories are good. One story covers the everyday Rome man, played gracefully by Roberto Benigni. He has a weird and surreal touch with fame that’s kind of the light hearted side of the movie. Another story sees Woody Allen play a recently retired music producer who is in Rome with his wife, Judy Davis, who goes to Rome to meet their daughter’s fiancé and family. While there Allen’s character discovers the fiancé’s father has an amazing singing voice. Bizarre hilarity ensues. One story sees a man have to pretend that a hooker played by Penelope Cruz is his wife meanwhile dealing with young and untested love. Then there’s a story involving Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, and Greta Gerwig that is introspective, retrospective, and full of hearty amusement. There is A LOT going on, but you never feel overwhelmed or uninterested. It’s a mutli-layered and surreal romantic comedy. What seems so simple and cutesy on paper is actually one of the best written and collage-type movies I’ve seen in a long time. The loaded cast put their A-games on the camera and Woody’s writing is as sharp as ever. It’s really “art” in the way that the more I think about it the more I appreciate it. There really wasn’t a weak link between the four stories captured and the style it was presented in was remarkable. A lot of people heralded “Midnight In Paris” in reviews and award nominations. I was one of those people. That and this are different movies for sure, but the quality is on the same level. I went into it not really expecting much and was blindsided with reminder of the fact that Woody Allen is the king of the screen. This is a movie that needs to be seen and appreciated. It’s better than pizza. A
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