Let's start off by saying that none of the love that is depicted in this film is fairy book material. It is not what you would want to watch on Valentine's Day, and it is not the sort of love story that holds general appeal. It is a dark comedy sort of a love story.
Woody Allen tours the cities of Europe in his 21st century films--first London, then Barcelona, followed by a luminous film in Paris. This go round it is Rome, and it is recognizably Rome indeed--we see the Tivoli Fountain, the Spanish steps, and the house where Keats lived and died in when he was in Rome. This is the Rome of tourist fame.
The movie is not so much a story as it is dropping in on four different stories--two Italian and two Americans visiting Italy. The stories have reasonable beginnings, but they taper off to a fade rather than end. For my taste the two most successful stories are a farce involving Italian newlyweds and one that involves an American couple. The Italians more or less fall into bed with people who are not their spouse, with almost no consequences, and the Americans involve a third party and a chorus (Alec Baldwin, who is my favorite character in the whole film). The dialogue is not tip top Woody Allen, but the acting is enjoyable and the film is diversionary, if not illuminating.
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