Yes, No, Maybe So: "To Rome With Love"
Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 6:33PM 
Jose here with a new edition of Yes, No, Maybe So. After the success of the Oscar-winning Midnight in Paris, all eyes were set on Woody Allen's next movie. First the movie caused a tiny outrage because of its "unimaginative" title, later we got a look at an underwhelming poster that had people once more complaining and accusing Woody of "losing his touch".
However, this has become the norm with his work. He's unarguably the most productive artist in moviemaking and people always have very strong reactions towards him and his movies. For all the people who loved Midnight in Paris there were a few who hated it because it wasn't Annie Hall or refused to watch it because they oppose Woody morally.
Here's the first trailer. Help us decide if it's Yes, No or Maybe So...
YES
The cast! No words can do justice to how amazing this cast truly is...
Alec! Pé! Jesse! JUDY! and...Woody! Allen's acting, just like his movies, can be quite divisive but his brand of self deprecating humor is unique and we can all agree than Woody > Woody surrogate (even Owen Wilson who's been the greatest so far)
NO
Ellen Page's character is described by Greta Gerwig's as "smart and funny, men just adore her, I think it's because of the sexual vibe she gives off". Am I the only who doesn't see it?
I mean Ellen is fantastic and all, and she can be a superb comedienne, but she most definitely does not give off a sexual vibe, except to guys like these:
MAYBE SO
Woody seems to have a pattern - and this is based completely on un-scientific data - but he usually makes a good movie, then a bad, then a good, then a bad etc.
Just take a look at his recent streak of Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Whatever Works, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Midnight in Paris, that's a good movie, a so-so movie, a plain out bad movie and a masterpiece. With him you never know what's next...
We'll have to wait and see but in the meantime I'm going on a definite YES, if only for this:
Last time Pénelope Cruz and Woody got together, the result was an Oscar. Oh and also one of the most quotable characters of the past ten years.
It's your turn now. Will you be saying Yes, No or Maybe So to this movie?
Reader Comments (37)
I actually laughed out loud when Greta said that Ellen Page gives off a sexual vibe.
You are not alone re: Ellen Page. When I heard that quote in the trailer, I thought it was a joke if only because I've discussed this with a friend of mine in the past: Ellen is a great actress, but she has no sexuality whatsoever (our point being that's why her post-Oscar nod career hasn't been as good as it could have been).
Midnight in Paris was a masterpiece? I love Woody Allen and was happy to see him return to industry favor, but the praise for that film baffles me.
Dominique: Yeah...when you've got the perfect screen presecence to play Kerewin Holmes (which, if she wants to try to do accent work would actually be perfect for her persona), there aren't many roles that will play to your strengths, especially for someone older than late teens, early twenties. At this point, I don't know if she's even doing Freeheld, which is a shame, because, hopefully, the story of that doesn't require her to be perceived as overtly sexual.
I'm happy that Ellen Page has gotten a good role, but I have to agree with the sexy thing...at first, I thought I might believe it when they showed that first shot, but after that, no. She just doesn't exude any sexuality. I did think it was funny that she talked about hooking up with a girl. :P
Penelope looks great though.
I've never seen Woody's classic stuff but the few newer films of his I've seen - Whatever Works, Vick Christina Barcelona, Match Point, etc. - have left me cold and this looks like more of the same, so I'm a NO. As for Ellen Page, she's certainly pretty but I have to agree that she doesn't give off the typical "sexual vibe".
idk, but she seemed pretty sexual in Super. She's no penelope, but i do think she pulls off her own type of attraction.
Poppy: But "profane, sexually aggressive rapist" and "sexually appealing", should be diametrically opposed, shouldn't they? That's more what people mean. So, even Super doesn't require what people are really talking about, no matter how "good" she is in it.
Judy Davis back with Woody gets a huge YES from me! Love her trailer line recalculating his IQ in euros :-)
Oh, dear me... I did not like the trailer. Not at all. Is this supposed to act as a magnet? I thought it was old fashioned, slow... I hope I am wrong. Otherwise, it would be a wasted opportunity to extend the good streak of recent years.
I'm just saying she is capable of pulling off a sexual vibe. She wasn't just some rapist, but she definitely had some psycho in her for the movie lol but she was very sexually aggressive and pyscho rape love is still in the family of sexuality, only if it's a second cousin twice removed. In the trailer, her character obviously isn't going for a sexual rapist feel or some sex-bot, for thatt matter. Just look at her crowd of people, people like greta gerwig and jesse eisenberg. Ellen page is pretty, to me she has a radiancy in the trailer, someone with her looks and woody allen's sense of humor, talking about her sexual side experimenting with girls all seems believabley sexually appealing to these type of people. but I could also see why people would find her plain and unengaging in that department. I'm just saying it's not that unrealistic.
In all fairness to Ellen Page—Woody Allen doesn't always cast actors perfectly to how they're described in his scripts. Example—Anjelica Huston in 'Manhattan Murder Mystery' is referred to and refers to herself as "sexually dangerous"—to who?
I get to see Penelope Cruz AND Judy Davis work with Woody Allen again, see Woody himself back on screen again, and ogle Rome (not to mention Flavio Parenti) all in one movie? I'm going with a big fat YES for this one. Here's hoping it breaks the unscientific (yet recently all-too-accurate) trend with his movies and becomes his second successive charmer.
@3rtful - are you saying that Ms Huston doesn't give off a "sexually dangerous" vibe? A lot of her career was built on that, wasn't it?
@Poppy - It's been fairly well agreed for many decades that rape is about control, domination and aggession. NOT sex.
Not to be disrespectful but - isn't Ellen Page a lesbian? I always sort of assumed she was. I like her onscreen, I like her performances (generally) but I don't even find her pretty - which is fine, I get tired of always seeing pretty women onscreen - or sexy in any way. I'm curious as one can certainly have a very "different" sexual vibe (there's not just one way to be sexual, of course) but in the one movie I saw her in that required her to be somewhat sexy, Wilby Wonderful (2004) she played a rebellious teenager going out with a boy, someone who is supposed to be a flirt, wears suggestive dresses and is supposedly something of a "sexpot"; she nailed the rebellion and anger (at her mother) and sadness, but as a libidinous heterosexual teenager she was less believable than kd lang. (Although maybe that was the point?)
On the other hand, I thought the pool scene in Whip It was very sensual.
Definitely yes. Watched the trailer today and I can't wait to see it :)
@Janice well, hooray for people agreeing with each other but I don't know what that has to do with what I'm saying. Doctors didn't write Super, and the director didn't write that rape scene to show how dominant and agressive she is.The character was always unhinged and, if anything, was always getting off on the adrenaline of it all. and she formed a crush on rainn wilson's character leading to something pretty gooey.
are you saying that Ms Huston doesn't give off a "sexually dangerous" vibe? A lot of her career was built on that, wasn't it?
Although Huston's a former model she was never a sex symbol in film. In 'The Grifters' she's meant to be this sexy (I can't believe she's John Cusack's mother) "sexually dangerous" person but with the Bea Arthur wig and tinted blond eyebrows her dark allure was washed out—making her appear older than the character's scripted and not really sexy at all. 'Prizzi's Honor' she's more dangerous than "sexually dangerous"—in fact her most sexually charged role is Morticia Addams! That's not comparable to Juliette Lewis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sharon Stone, Susan Sarandon—these are "sexually dangerous" women.
I suppose Greta Gerwig must have been talking about Penélope Cruz.
YES:
PENÉLOPE CRUZ (she's welcome to fulfill MY dreams as well, Oscar nod? :D)
Judy Davis back from tv (an Oscar nod or even a win would be divine)
Alec Baldwin is the best
Woody
NO:
Roberto Benigni
Maybe so:
Ellen Page - not sure how that works out
Overall, it's a big yes for me! :)
I'm pretty evenly split on this. I LOVE half of the cast, have zero interest in seeing the other. Rome doesn't look like it was shot any more differently than VCB. Hate the title, hate the first poster and Woody back onscreen again is not something I wanna revel in, actually. If the reviews are good (and the American poster is inspired, like MIP) I'll give it a shot but I really dislike watching bad Woody Allen movies and I feel like I've seen way too many of them in the last 10 years. MIP was really adorable and solid so we'll see if any of that is leftover here.
Woody Allen offered a role to beautiful Ornella Muti and she doesn't feature in the trailer...so disappointing!!!
I saw the words "Roberto Benigni" and then I saw the poster and thought this was going to be a disaster. The trailer gives a better idea of his character, and it is thankfully subdued. He actually looks like the straight man in all the jokes. I think I can give this one a shot.
Regarding Ellen Page, I totally agree. When Gerwig uttered "men adore her because she gives off a sexual vibe" I sort of awkwardly giggled because there really is nothing sexual about Ellen Page. Which is not a diss to her because she's a much better actress than 90% of the young ingenues working in the business right now...but Ellen has never been known as some kind of alluring sex goddess....that's just really funny to me. And how embarrassing also when Penelope Cruz is also in the film in full-on glam bombshell mode! I think she looks the sexiest I've ever seen her!
I found this film to be uneventful by the trailer. Same thing. Nothing new. I'm bored, and won't be excited to see this at all. Sorry Woody. This will fizzle like Whatever Works
I think the whole "Men adore her because she gives off a sexual vibe" bit is flying over everyone's heads. I think it's meant as a joke and not to be taken literally. The humour arises due to the incongruous juxtaposition between the words or line reading and Ellen's appearance. Not to knock the girl, she's pretty enough, but as noted by many she's not exactly a sexy bombshell.
I'm a 'yes' just for the cast alone. Judy, Penny, Jesse, Ellen, and Woody himself are definite draws for me. But yeah, Benigni and his mugging are minuses.
@Dominique,
I think Ellen's post oscar nod career has suffered for a number of reasons. Though I see your point about her sexuality or lack thereof. The problem for her is that though she's talented and pretty, she's also quite petite and doesn't really have a womanly figure. So she appears really young, younger than she actually is. And therefore, due to her youthful looks she's not a candidate for being the romantic lead for many films. Kick in the fact that she exudes a "butch vibe" as well, then yeah, she's not exactly leading lady material.
@Janice,
Go watch "Hard Candy", one of Ellen's best films, to see EP play up a lolitaesque sexy vibe. She and Patrick Wilson create a gripping dynamic in this little thriller, and EP's performance won well deserved critical accolades.
I'm always confused when I hear people say "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" was a "plain out bad movie" or something like that. I can understand saying it's mediocre or so-so, but bad?
I liked it a lot when I saw it and still think about that moment when Brolin's walking toward the camera after finding out [SPOILER] his writer friend is still alive [END OF SPOILER]. Pretty devastating. Anthony Hopkins, Gemma Jones, and Brolin give very good performances I think.
Any Woody Allen film (regardless of the ambiguous sexual pull or absolute over-the-top irritability of any co-stars) that brings JUDY DAVIS back into the fold get's a MAJOR YES from me. The crap I've sat through just to see that woman on celluloid or television over the years is nothing compared to a (potential) miss of a movie from Woody. I'll take it. Happily, eagerly....it might be wonderful.
Also, I enjoyed Midnight in Paris, it was fun...but, completely agree with earlier comments. It did not reinvent the wheel, folks. Perhaps it was his biggest box office success precisely because of that fact. For fantasy-land Woody, I'll still take The Purple Rose of Cairo.
*gets
Woody Allen movies are odd for me. I typically hate the films he stars in because I don't find that level of neurosis charming or funny andI usually spend the majority of my viewing time wanting him to shut the eff up. I tend to either genuinely like (or at least, not hate) the films he just directs . . . even though he almost always has a "stand-in" for himself in those films. Anyway, I'm still a yes because I'm a whore for a good cast and this has a damn great cast.
Also: Sometimes I feel like the only person in the world who loved Whatever Works. Honestly. I love that movie.
I giggled over the Judy Davis line and that's good enough for me. I'll definitely see it, maybe on DVD though. And it's nice to see that Roberto seems somewhat subdued in this. Thank heavens.
Leah: I liked Whatever Works. I wouldn't go so far as to say I loved it - but then I've only seen it once, and I feel that all Woody films grow on repeated viewings. But, first time up, I did like it, and thought its view of romance was robust and optimistic.
Can't wait to see To Rome With Love.
Jesse -- Your commitment to Judy Davis is inspiring and rings too true. LOL. It's a shame her and Allen didn't get too many chances to team up beyond Deconstructing Harry and Celebrity after her Husbands & Wives heat (surely he could've used her somewhere in Bullets Over Broadway or added her in to punch up some of those dreadful early '00s comedies) but I'll take this over nothing too. It's just that she's so amazing with the right material and his female roles tend to be so strong, this could've/should've been another *~muse~* situation but ah, well.
YES: Penelope Cruz and Judy Davis
“Can you imagine working all that time on your back?”
“I can.”
NO: Roberto Beningi and Woody Allen. UGH. And where is the sexual vibe from Ellen? I must be blind
MAYBE SO: Looks fun and Penelope as the saving grace
Ok, I'm a maybe on this - YES to Judy Davis' line readings and Alec Baldwin's at the end "you don't know anything about women" / "I think thats been proven." I couldn't help think about the real life situation with his ex and daughter where he was recorded cussing them out on the phone - and it felt like Baldwin was poking fun at himself. I'm alway up for that.
Maybe: I've never seen Begnini's films (and in no hurry to do so) but he seems really subdued here, a charming, befuddled middle-aged everyman. (So, why do we need Woody in this film?)
No: Woody playing himself - half a century later and it's still the same old schtick. The opening with the unnamed traffic cop as the narrator, the observer of all the stories - it reminded me of the opening conceit of Melinda/Melinda, but also of better films from the 1950's such as Ophul's La Ronde, when it was still charming. Now it just feels tired.
Oh, and I get now that gerwig's comment about Page's character is probably meant to be a joke in context, ie, trying to make a blind date sound more appealing kind of idea. She does have a radiant quality in that one shot - but when she talked about being with another woman (which is probably also meant as a joke) I completely believed it and wanted to see Page and Gerwig go at it.
Now that would turn that movie into an automatic yes for me. (I mean, it's not as though Jesse Eisenberg is some sort of freakin' hot stud himself anyway.)
I don't understand this trailer... It's so haphazard
Finally watched the trailer and I kinda like it. While I tend to be 50/50 with Allen's films (in terms of being entertaining), I hope this turns out well. And good for Roberto Benigni, seeing how I haven't heard a higher profile-film of his in a long time.
I saw the movie "to roma with love" and was impressed by the opening scene when a police officer (Mr. Pierluigi Marchionne) begins the film with a great piazza venezia rome postcard. A brilliant idea Mr. woody allen with the narrator who accompanies and unites the four stories of the film.