In this Netflix rom-com, Eric, a successful businessman, travels to Italy to bring his daughter Olivia back home and discourage her from restoring a crumbling villa. However, once there, he can’t help but be taken over by the beauty and charm of the country as he finds a new lease on life.
-
La Dolce Villa Netflix Cast
Scott Foley, Violante Placido, Maia Reficco, Giuseppe Futia
-
La Dolce Villa Movie Director
Mark Waters
-
La Dolce Villa 2025 Writers
Elizabeth Hackett, Hilary Galanoy
The film has a runtime of 99 minutes.
La Dolce Villa Review
La Dolce Villa starts off surprisingly fast and holds on to that pace quite a bit. It swiftly moves from finding out to shopping to buying within minutes. Something or the other is constantly happening in the film, resulting in us not really spending time taking in the sights and feels of this film. That being said, this Netflix film is quite entertaining and there’s a warmth in the Italian air that makes this quite sweet.
I think the film’s pace is its problem, relying solely on delivering a good time rather than creating any sort of bond with the cast or the situations. There are no stakes here, just a flurry of situations that are solved before the problems are brought forth. It’s a little weird to watch because it makes you feel good because everything that is happening around you is positive and happy, but that happiness never really touches your heart because, honestly, why would it? You are not familiar with these people at all.
The film is sweet and light-hearted and perfect for a date night on Valentine’s Day. It makes your heart soar but only because it’s a love letter to the Italian countryside, with which you will definitely fall in love. The human stories are uninteresting but there’s something very charming with how the movie presents the beautiful countryside that will catch your heart. It made me want to move to the countryside and buy a 1 euro home to live in because the movie presents it so well that you fall in love.
Also Read: Honeymoon Crasher Review: Stupid, Silly, Wholesome
The central characters of the film are the father-daughter duo Eric and Olivia, who, after the death of her mother, decide to fulfil their dream of living in Italy. Most of the film is Eric trying to convince Olivia to come back but it’s pretty clear from the get-go that that will not happen and he is going to eventually settle there. Again — no stakes. But, there’s a comfort in this film and it never really gets on your nerves too much. The pace is an issue, but not so much that you’d want to watch something else. I enjoyed Olivia’s outlook on life and points regarding how this generation is suffering from a crisis. It’s not the point of the movie and we move on too fast to something else, but it’s appreciated regardless.
Final Thoughts
La Dolce Villa is not the best rom-com out there. In fact, I wouldn’t even call it a rom-com. However, it’s a sweet movie that makes you fall for Italy in more ways than one and might even persuade you to live your life in a different way. It’s forgettable and without anything major happening to make you sit up and take notice but that’s okay if you are looking for something light and frothy.
Also Read: My Fault: London Review: Stupid Once More