La Dolce Villa

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STEVEN E We really enjoyed the movie. Scenery was beautiful. Actors were believable and fantastic. Great story & ending we hoped for Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/17/25 Full Review andrea c Altro film prodotto da Netflix che cavalca l'onda del forestiero che scopre la magia dell'Italia tra paesaggi e cucina. Nulla di originale se non la pochezza della sceneggiatura in cui ogni personaggio ha zero credibilità nella storia a cui si aggiunge una trama già di per sè molto banale. A condire il tutto ci sono dialoghi per lo più imbarazzanti e personaggi di contorno tra il bizzarro ed il cringe. Sicuramente il format con l'utilizzo di ampie inquadrature del paesaggio con tanta spinta sui colori, funziona come testimoniato dall'alto numero di film di questo tipo (proprio Netflix poco tempo prima ha prodotto "Toscana") ma la differenza tra commedia leggera e romantica e cinema spazzatura è talvolta sottile; qui il confine è superato senza indugio per un'ora e mezza di imbarazzo ed ovvietà. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/16/25 Full Review Peisi E The dumbest and most predictable movie of the 21st Century. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/06/25 Full Review sailor R As a Dad with a 20 something daughter the story caught my interest, while their interaction touched my heart. Everybody is right, it is an upgraded Hallmark movie, but that's OK. These movies are comfort food for the soul and a great way to wind down from the stress of our own lives. The outcome is not a mystery for a reason. Some review's knocked the acting but I disagree. Every character was believable and they disappeared into their part. Simply put, you weren't aware of someone acting. I took off a star for writing. In the beginning, I found the dad's character kind of whinny and weak. He started to stand up straighter as the movie went on. I still had a hard time believing a woman like Francesca could fall for him. Kudo's to the actor playing the daughter. She made the very best of the weakest lines. Special mention to the daughters romantic interest and the contractor. They both did a fantastic job. Ah Francesca, she's the reason guys like me tune into romcoms. Gorgeous lady, but truth be told it is the spirit. She was fun, sweet and easy to like. None of the angst that Hollywood seems to think we want in our women. Her character was successful AND happy, something that seems to be a rarity in reality. She doesn't need a guy but she also doesn't lament having one. Most importantly, she seemed to like herself; what a concept. Hey Hollywood, there is a hidden market that you can target men for. We grew out of the Playboy models in our 30's. As we get older we fantasize about happy women. Someone we could have a pleasant friendship with, who enjoys life and who doesn't make us walk a tightrope surrounded by trap doors, baggage and constant erroneous assumptions. I'm just saying... Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/01/25 Full Review Kaitlyn B This was an elevated Hallmark movie. There is this charming faith to recover an ugly, broken space and restore it back to life mixed with sweet, innocent romances. The depth wasn’t there but it still was very visually beautiful. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/28/25 Full Review Matthew D Cute and charming rom-com that Scott Foley has to carry alongside Violante Placido. Mean Girls director Mark Waters’ romantic-comedy La Dolce Villa (2025) on Netflix is like a basic Hallmark movie. The visual standards on Netflix are really awful with bland cheap interiors and it’s shot like a television episode. Waters’ brisk directorial style from Mean Girls and Freaky Friday is non-exist here. Anyone could have directed this, sadly. It feels like a filler movie meant to stuff Netflix full of generic rom-coms. Writers Elizabeth Hackett and Hilary Galanoy craft a cute romance, boring business meetings full of annoying jargon, and obnoxious teen dialogue. At least Italy is beautiful and cinematographer Theo van de Sande shoots some pretty backdrop wide shots of Rome, Lazio, and Tuscany. The medium and close-up shots look like cooking commercials, unfortunately. There’s a lot of random side character subplots for no reason. I have no idea why they did the father-daughter plot, mayor and permit guy, bartender and girlfriend arguing, old ladies doubting, the real inheritors claiming the home, the father and mayor dating, the chef and daughter dating, the chef wanting to teach cooking, the father’s side business, the father and daughter grieving the dead mother, and many other plotlines. Why is it so cram packed? Nothing gets a chance to build and they write these melodramatic moments to be tear-jerking scenes Scott Foley is fun as the concerned father Eric, who is also a widower. He learns to fall in love again with Violante Placido’s playful mayor and widow Francesca. They have real chemistry together and go on some cute dates. Maia Reficco is amusing as the teen daughter Olivia, but she’s hardly in the movie. She feels like an afterthought. Giuseppe Futia gets more screen-time as the likable local chef Gio, who likes Olivia and teaches Eric to cook like an Italian chef. Simone Luglio is very funny as the local contractor Nino. Production designer Luca Tranchino has a certain quaint charm, but does not feel authentic. Everything looks so cheap. Editor Travis Sittard’s cutting is so dull and doesn’t have any style to it. Composer Caroline Ho’s gentle, pretty, and quiet movie score is pleasant, but fairly generic. Costume designer Catherine Buyse Dian gives the actresses pretty dresses and cozy sweaters. The guys all get generic guy outfits though. In all, La Dolce Villa is pretty bad, but I was mildly entertained by it. It’s a cozy 99 minutes. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 04/28/25 Full Review Read all reviews

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