Cinema is an amazing art form that often defies expectations. You can mix ingredients that cast doubt into the finished product and still have an experience that brings out true emotion, manipulated or not. Case in point is the film Solo Mio. On paper, it looks like less than stellar, but the end results will warm even the coldest of hearts.
Matt Taylor (Kevin James) proposes to his girlfriend Heather (Better Call Saul alumni Julie Ann Emery) in front of the entirety of his fourth-grade students. After her positive response, they plan a dream wedding to take place in Rome. When the wedding advances to the vows segment, Heather is nowhere to be seen.
Left reeling, Matt is convinced to still stay in Rome, due to the lack of a refund, and to complete the honeymoon solo. He soon comes in contact with Gia (Nicole Grimaudo), a lovely Italian lady who runs a cafe across the street from the hotel. She takes pity on the odd American and they becomes friends. The majority of the film’s humour is based on the cluelessness of Matt.
In a very well trodden path, the film introduces you to a range of colourful side-characters that include Andrea Bocelli, as himself, a crass American couple played by Kim Coates and Alyson Hannigan and of course the Italian countryside. Unless cynicism plays a large part in your worldview, you are slowly drawn in and begin to empathise with Matt’s plight, and when it finally plays out, you can’t help but have an emotional response.
Rob Hudson
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