'Solo Mio' is 'molto bene'

Kevin James' new film may be the funniest romantic comedy of the decade

A truly funny romantic comedy has become a rare find in today’s cinema landscape. The rom-com seems to be a dying art, a once-proud staple of first dates, sleepovers, and family movie nights doomed to be cannibalized by self-parody or raunchy excess. I honestly struggle to name one pure rom-com that came out in the past decade that I thought was genuinely sweet and funny (2018’s Crazy Rich Asians is the only one that comes to mind). A new take on a proven but neglected formula is always a breath of fresh air.

Solo Mio is one such very refreshing breath.

Kevin James is a rom-com veteran of both the large and small screen and he brings an easy-going charm to this role that delighted me greatly. He plays Matt Taylor, an American left at the altar at his destination wedding in Italy. Devastated by his fiancée’s decision, Taylor tries to cancel his honeymoon reservation but upon finding he can’t get a refund for the expensive package, he decides to remain in Italy and try to forget his troubles by experiencing its grandeur. He meets a charming barista, Gia (Nicole Grimaudo), who attempts to cheer him up and whom he slowly falls in love with. Trying to help him process his grief are two other men on their honeymoons, Julian (Kim Coates) and Neil (Jonathan Roumie), and although their well-intentioned interference is often counter-productive they do form a close bond with Matt and are hilarious additions to the cast.

The movie is light and funny, and the gorgeous locations in Rome and Tuscany certainly do not harm its charm. The entire cast is charismatic and hilarious, the jokes are smartly written and executed, and the whole film feels like a throwback to an earlier era. The creative team behind it is the Kinnane Brothers, a team of seven Catholic brothers from Rhode Island making movies together. Their previous work and interviews with them contain a great reverence for the cinema of the past, and it shines through in this film. There’s barely a hint of parody here (except when they subvert a more raunchy expectation of the genre for a good laugh). You can tell that the folks making this film love classic rom-coms like Hitch or Return to Me or even older gems like The Philadelphia Story, and they set out to make a film in a similar vein. This is by far the most charming and funny rom-com I have seen in years; I (and the mostly-full theater I saw it with) were constantly laughing at the witty dialogue and funny scenarios the characters were put in, and although sometimes it seemed like the movie might veer into being mean-spirited, it always pivoted and deepened its heart and charm.

I’m being vaguer than I like in describing the plot and themes, but there are jokes and twists in this film that I simply do not want to spoil for an interested audience. This movie is weirdly twisty, throwing a new curveball into the mix every so often to keep the audience engaged. One in particular at the end was so zany and coincidental that it rivals (but does not surpass) the insane premise of Return to Me. There was even a moment I thought the film was about to pivot into a stalker-horror film, but the ship was righted and I was delighted. My only complaint is that it is perhaps 10-15 minutes too long, but no specific part dragged or seemed unnecessary so this is a minor complaint. This is a fantastic Valentine’s Day date movie, and even a good film for families as well. The Hollywood rom-com may not be back, but I’m always happy to see a good new entry into the genre and Solo Mio is the best we’ve had in a long time. Watch it with friends, watch it with family, watch it with a date: a good time will be had by all.