Discription
To Rome with Love (2012)
Summary
To Rome with Love is a romantic comedy film that is structured as a series of four unrelated vignettes set in Rome, featuring a large ensemble cast of Italian and American characters. The separate stories explore themes of fame, romance, infidelity, and the realization of artistic dreams, all against the backdrop of the Eternal City. The film blends Woody Allen's signature witty dialogue and fantastical scenarios with the picturesque scenery of Rome.
Plot
The film is divided into four distinct storylines:
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The Architect's Story (John): John (Alec Baldwin), a successful American architect, is vacationing in Rome and revisits the neighborhood where he lived as a student. He encounters Jack (Jesse Eisenberg), a young architecture student living with his long-time girlfriend, Sally (Greta Gerwig). John is suddenly able to see and talk to an "invisible" version of his younger self, giving him advice (or warnings) as Jack becomes infatuated with Sally's seductive and narcissistic friend, Monica (Elliot Page). John's warnings about the allure of "crazy" women reflect his own past experience. Jack ignores the warnings and begins an affair with Monica, only to realize he was happier with Sally just as Monica leaves him.
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The Opera Director's Story (Jerry): Jerry (Woody Allen), a retired, critically-reviled American opera director, travels to Rome with his wife, Phyllis (Judy Davis), to meet his daughter Hayley's fiancé, Michelangelo, and his family. Jerry is stunned to discover that Michelangelo's father, Giancarlo (Fabio Armiliato), a mortician, has a spectacular operatic voice, but only when he is singing in the shower. Jerry schemes to launch Giancarlo's singing career by having him perform in an actual shower stall on stage. The absurd spectacle is a massive success, but Giancarlo ultimately retires, preferring the simple life of a mortician with his family.
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The Celebrity's Story (Leopoldo): Leopoldo Pisanello (Roberto Benigni) is an exceptionally ordinary, middle-class clerk living a mundane life. One morning, he wakes up to find himself inexplicably famous. Paparazzi and reporters swarm him, desperate for his opinion on everything from breakfast to politics. He enjoys the attention—the red carpets, the beautiful women, the status—until the relentless, pointless scrutiny becomes a suffocating nightmare. Just as suddenly as it began, the fame shifts to a new, equally ordinary person, and Leopoldo returns to his forgotten existence, having learned a painful lesson about the emptiness of fleeting celebrity.
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The Newlyweds' Story (Antonio and Milly): Antonio (Alessandro Tiberi) and Milly (Alessandra Mastronardi) are a young couple from a provincial town on their honeymoon in Rome. They arrive in the city to meet Antonio's high-society relatives, who could help Antonio secure a job. Milly gets lost exploring the city and accidentally stumbles upon a film set where she is nearly seduced by a famous actor. Meanwhile, a high-class prostitute named Anna (Penélope Cruz) is mistakenly sent to Antonio's hotel room. When Antonio's family arrives, he is forced to introduce Anna as his wife. Throughout a hilariously awkward day, Antonio and Anna navigate the mistaken identity while Milly is out on her own adventure. Antonio ends up sleeping with Anna, and Milly sleeps with a thief. They both decide to return to their simple town, where, having gotten their romantic "adventures" out of their system, they renew their love for each other.
Cast
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Woody Allen as Jerry
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Alec Baldwin as John
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Roberto Benigni as Leopoldo Pisanello
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Penélope Cruz as Anna
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Judy Davis as Phyllis
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Jesse Eisenberg as Jack
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Elliot Page as Monica (Credited as Ellen Page)
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Greta Gerwig as Sally
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Alessandro Tiberi as Antonio
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Alessandra Mastronardi as Milly
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Fabio Armiliato as Giancarlo
Crew
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Writer and Director: Woody Allen
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Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, Giampaolo Letta
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Cinematography: Darius Khondji
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Editor: Alisa Lepselter
Release Date
June 22, 2012 (United States - Limited)
