Reviewed by Rebecca Wu
A comfortable drift through Italy.
Rating 3 out of 5
Directed by Chuck and Dan Kinnane, who also co-wrote the film along with lead actor Kevin James, Solo Mio is a romantic comedy set in Italy. The film opens with Matt Taylor (Kevin James) being left at the altar by his fiancée, Heather (Julie Ann Emery), leaving him stuck alone in Italy, with a prepaid honeymoon package.
Also travelling on the same honeymoon package are Meghan (Alyson Hannigan) and her husband Julian (Kim Coates), along with Neil (Jonathan Roumie) and his wife Donna (Julee Cerda). Julian notices Matt journeying alone and approaches him, and soon after the five form a friendship.
Simultaneously, Matt meets Gia (Nicole Grimaudo), who is the café owner near to the hotel where the couples are staying on their package. There is a big emphasis on the settings having been set in Italy, the Italian culture, and about all it has to offer as a country.
It raises some big questions like staying in a relationship out of fear of being alone, the emotional messiness of relationships, finding oneself, and about bouncing back after setbacks. However, the plot makes them feel fleeting or lightly touched so it moves along pleasantly but it never really goes anywhere emotionally or creatively; rather it relies a lot on the locations, atmosphere, and idea of Italy as a romantic backdrop.
Comically it was a bit better, with Kim Coates as Julian bringing the most humour both with the plot dialogue and acting. Neil is the ‘woke’ male and Julian is not, so their contrast is quite funny and well emphasised. Kevin James works well as the lead character as he brings heart and warmth to the production, but not really a lot of emotion, which kind of reflects the feel of the film itself.
Before the film’s release, James as Matt Taylor, garnered a large Instagram and TikTok following (as a teacher in class), so the character may feel more relatable for viewers who followed that journey before watching the film and developed a connection with him. Nevertheless, it is a pleasant enough film for a date night, and a welcome change from the exaggerated plots typical of Hollywood.
