Netflix has come up with another mushy feel-good romcom, ‘Love In The Villa’. Is it worth your time? Or can you skip it? Read the full movie review to find out.
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Cast: Kat Graham, Tom Hopper, Laura Hopper, Raymond Ablack, Hélène Cardona, Peter Arpesella, Katie McGovern, Sean Amsing, Emilio Solfrizzi, Stefano Skalkotos
Available On: Netflix
Duration: 1 Hour 54 Minutes
A third standard teacher Julie (Kat Graham), who is obsessed with Romeo and Juliet is planning a detailed trip to Verona with her boyfriend Brandon (Raymond Ablack) to visit the city that screams love to her. But when Brandon asks for space, she’s forced to go on the trip herself. When she arrives at the villa she’s booked in the heart of Verona, she finds yet another nasty surprise: the villa has been double-booked, and she’ll have to share the apartment with a British wine seller Charlie (Tom Hopper), whom she butts heads with immediately. After a tit-for-tat set of pranks, the duo call a truce and begin to learn things about one another, secretly falling in love. All is going well until both of their exes arrive in town to win them back, and Julie and Charlie will have to decide where their heart lies. Will the two be able to get back with their exes? Will the two ever be able to admit their love for each other? Well, for that you’ll have to watch the film.
Kat Graham stands out with her performance. She brings in the much-needed depth into the character which looks otherwise very superficial.
There’s hardly much to compliment Tom Hooper besides his impossibly good looks. One of the dialogues in the film calls him ‘Thor’, and he is just that. Overloads of good looks and very little depth brought into the character.
Mark Steven Johnson’s writing and direction don’t bring anything new to the table. This is on the same template as any of the millions of feel-good romcoms you must have seen on the Hallmark channel. There is nothing wrong in having a mushy romantic story, but it just makes the plot become a bit too predictable. There are no surprises and you can watch the twists and turns coming up from miles away.
José David Montero’s cinematography is praiseworthy. Shooting in real-life locations and that too in such busy holiday destinations is tough. Montero has managed to show the beauty of the city and yet not swayed away from the puffiness of the storyline.
Lee Haxall’s editing is perfect. Despite it being a mushy rom-com, she has managed to not let the story drag in the middle. You’re constantly hooked on what’s going to come up next. To add to that, she has kept the film under two hours, which is quite commendable considering romcoms usually try to stretch it like a piece of chewing gum for as long as possible.
Usually, in romcoms, you are expecting songs and some of them to remain memorable even after you’re done watching the film. Sadly, Ryan Shore’s music and background score wasn’t something that was too difficult to forget. No songs which stood out, or made an impact.
Yes
If you’re looking for a feel-good romcom to uplift your mood and make yourself feel that everything will eventually be good in your life, then ‘Love In The Villa’ is your pick for the day. For all the others who love to watch a bit more realistic cinema, you can simply Avoid. I am going with 2 stars.