Solo Mio had so much promise: a good premise, a great location and a likable cast. It’s refreshing to see that this year Hollywood has produced a romantic movie in time for Valentine’s Day that isn’t a thriller or horror film nor is a “friends with benefits” tale.
Instead, this is a sweet romantic story about a couple who are very much in love. Matt (Kevin James) and Heather (Julie Ann Emery) get engaged and plan to celebrate their nuptials in Rome. But things don’t go as planned. Matt is left standing alone at the altar and sort of foreshadows the rest of the film. It becomes a movie that is just okay when it could have been so much more.
Faced with uncertainty inside a honeymoon suite at a luxury hotel, Matt decides to not take part in the original tour package that is designed for happy couples, but when he can’t get his money back, he decides to make the most of his vacation sans bride. And when this plan proves to be too much, Matt decides to bail completely. However, two other American men on the same couple’s package encourage him to stay and hang out with them.
Neil (Jonathan Roumie), is a physical therapist who has just wed Donna (Julee Cerda), a mental therapist. Julian (Kim Coates) has just wed Meghan (Alyson Hannigan) for the third time. Julian thinks that he can play Matt’s wingman while Neil just want to help Matt heal.
And then there is Gia (Nicole Grimaudo), the owner of a local coffee shop. Her first meeting with Matt doesn’t go so well when he tries to correct how the Italian woman pronounces an Italian phrase. She sees that he’s upset but he doesn’t explain what is wrong. So, she tries to cheer him up giving him pointers on how to have a good time in Rome.
James has always played the everyman character well and Solo Mio is no exception. He’s the best part of this movie and his scenes with Gia are cute. But like Matt, this movie is afraid to take chances. It’s not offensive in anyway. It actually goes out of its way to not be. And I guess that is a good thing, but this story had so much potential. The plot isn’t bad, It’s pretty much a paint by numbers affair. And that is to be expected for a romantic-comedy such as thing, but nothing seems to be fleshed out with this movie.
Many of the jokes in Solo Mio don’t land and some of the scenarios don’t make any sense. The two American couples are really given much to do other than invade Matt’s space. Wouldn’t they want to be spending more time with their new spouses rather than hang out with this stranger? And even when a terrible scenario develops near the end, everything works out just fine in the end before any real tension can develop.
But the photography of the countryside is beautiful, the music is amazing and overall, this is a very pleasant movie. It reminds me of another pleasant movie – My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 – which was filmed in Greece. We’ve all seen worse.
With that said, Solo Mio does feature a few surprises that are worth seeing including a delightful plot twist. So, if you can lower your expectations a bit, sit back, relax and hold your date’s hand, Solo Mio just might make for a lovely night out in spite of itself.
Main Image: Angel
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