“Love in the Villa” Movie Review
It’s not a villa. It’s an apartment.
I’m not sure I even need to do this because many people had pointed out everything wrong with this movie elsewhere. So, I’ll start by pointing out some good things first.
1.) The actors are cute. I enjoyed watching their banter and they’ve tried their best, considering the script.
2.) Verona is an excellent backdrop for any movie.
3.) I liked her dresses.
4.) When you’re lying sick in bed like I was, and your brain refuses to work, this movie is a good choice to watch, because it won’t overwhelm those exhausted brain cells at all.
But, now to come to what was so obviously wrong with this movie that I sincerely hope someone at Netflix deciding what to film next will look at the comments people are leaving, and take them seriously. Spoilers ahead, so, be warned!
1.) The beginning of the movie and the meet-cute are perfectly fine for a romantic comedy. So, why ruin everything by forcing an enemy to lovers trope? And, in the process, making Julie look like a deranged psycho? Let me explain – after she arrives in Verona and finds out her apartment was double-booked by Charlie, he allows her to stay in the apartment, and although not happy about it, is actually quite civil. She, however, wants to get rid of him – by triggering his cat allergy and getting him arrested. What? Since when does endangering someone’s health and job count as romantic?
2.) Yes, we all know, Italians have a funny accent and drive their cars like crazy. They are unorganized and all men have mistresses. They like to hug and kiss. I don’t know, is there a single stereotype about Italy and Italians that was not served in this movie? Is that even funny anymore?
3.) Why is Julie so upset that Charlie served her horse meat, that she throws plates of food around a rented apartment? I would understand if she were a vegetarian, but why is in her non-vegetarian world eating horse meat so much worse than eating cow meat that it makes her puke and redecorate walls with food?
4.) And finally, after the movie spends most of the time focusing on their “little war”, which involved the police a couple of times, there is hardly any time left to persuade us that Charlie and Julie actually like each other. Enough that she would decide not to marry her boyfriend of four years. I don’t know, maybe I don’t understand the workings of an insta-love, but I didn’t buy it.
Maybe by scaling down their antagonism and allowing Julie and Charlie to spend some more quality time together in the movie, their romance would become more convincing and we, as observers, would get a couple of thrills more out of the whole thing. Or any thrills at all.
This way, I am left mildly underwhelmed and am giving the movie 2.5 * out of 5.
Then again, what do I know? I’m only a romance writer…
What do you think? What are your favorite romance movies of all time? Leave me a comment below, I’d love to hear your opinion.