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After Jerry hears the sublime opera vocals of Hayley's future father-in-law, Giancarlo (Italian tenor Fabio Armiliato) from the shower, he's determined to make the humble undertaker into a star. Giancarlo insists he sings only for personal pleasure, and when he auditions at Jerry's insistence, he discovers that his talent fails him outside the shower. You can guess the rest. The scenes of Giancarlo performing on stage could have become as repetitious as the media's pursuit of Benigni, but Allen shows enough restraint and gives the sequences enough diversity that they remain consistently funny. The time away from the screen hasn't helped Allen's acting chops. He's curiously listless as Jerry, and Davis, who was razor-sharp in Allen's "Husbands and Wives," rarely rises above dreary hen-pecking as his wife. The ineffable magic that made "Midnight in Paris" click eludes Allen here. When in Paris, Allen's gimmicks coalesced into a sly, engaging romantic fantasy. When in Rome, though, it's not Nero who's fiddling, but Allen, bopping and dithering around the city like a tourist so desperate to cram in all the sights that he comes away only with a few crisp highlights and a lot of out-of-focus snapshots. "To Rome with Love," a Sony Pictures Classics release, is rated R for some sexual references. Running time: 112 minutes. Two stars out of four. ___ Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions: G -- General audiences. All ages admitted. PG -- Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children. PG-13 -- Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children. R -- Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. NC-17 -- No one under 17 admitted.
[Associated
Press;
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