To Rome with Love

Woody Allen continues his run of entertaining but forgettable pictures with this anthology film, set against the backdrop of yet another cinematic city. The film's four interwoven stories are slight, and though some are better than others, they all feel like the funny premises of Allen's New Yorker pieces or ideas that were too insignificant for him to expand into feature films of their own. Still, while anthology films are almost never satisfying, this one succeeds where others fall short. The best storyline in To Rome With Love (a disappointingly generic title chosen after several others didn’t translate well to foreign markets) is the one that stars Allen himself in a welcome return to acting after a five-film hiatus. I loved the idea behind this vignette and appreciated the way it played out, with an absurdist bent that reminded me of Allen's earlier films and print work. This is also his third film with cinematographer Darius Khondji, and if nothing else, To Rome With Love makes a very pretty cinematic postcard.

I feel more warmly toward this movie than I did towards Allen's previous picture, Midnight In Paris. While that was a mediocre film made from a fantastically rich premise, this is a mediocre film made from almost nothing. That doesn't make it a better movie, but I wasn't as frustrated this time around by a sense of missed opportunity for real depth and humor. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to be enjoying it as much as I did. This film won't change the minds of those who think Allen is a washed-up dinosaur with outdated attitudes towards men and women, coasting along on autopilot and recycling his formerly funny ideas, but for the rest of us, there is still a beating heart in this body of work.