Wrtitten by Lara Rosales
La Dolce Villa builds the contrast between feelings and structure quite perfectly. While Eric (Scott Foley) is considerate of every problem that could happen and wants to keep the perfect organization of his life and his daughter’s life, Olivia (Maia Reficco) focuses on what she feels throughout every experience. They both have a different perspective on life, how to live it, and what being an adult means.
These differences between father and daughter build the movie and deliver a heartfelt story about the love between them, for a place, and new people. Even though the movie premiered close to Valentine’s Day, the romantic relationships aren’t the ones that stand out. On the contrary, the love between this father/daughter duo truly shines through the screen. By finally accepting that they are different, they can love each other the way they used to.
As different as they are, they are also quite similar. Through their passions, they can feel. For Olivia, that ends up translating to interior design. While she believes she has been feeling everything wherever she goes, it isn’t until she comes face-to-face with designing the renovated villa that she realizes what she truly wants to do in life. A feeling that comes from putting the work in.
For Eric, food is where he lets himself feel. As he shares his story with Gio (Giuseppe Futia), viewers can understand he has always used food to express himself. He cooked for his wife and daughter as a way to show them he loved them. He cooked for big parties, celebrating life. And cooking came to an end when his wife passed away and his relationship with his daughter drifted away. Now that he is finding his daughter and love again, he is also finding his way back to food.
These two characters aren’t the only ones feeling something as the movie progresses. Even if you don’t feel connected to the relationships forming throughout the film, there is one thing you absolutely will feel as a viewer: the desire to be in Italy.
From the very beginning, the music sets the mood for the audience. One is immediately transported to that beautiful country, and the soundtrack continues to expand that feeling in every important scene. Without the music, the film wouldn’t have made us feel the way it does about Italy. However, it isn’t the only detail that allows us to feel that desire.
The scenery is extremely captivating. Everywhere the characters go is a masterpiece. Even when they tour the villas falling to pieces, viewers can feel the beauty of Italy and this town in particular. The green, the sunsets, the architecture, and the intimacy that radiates from the small town all work together to transport you to this place as you watch the movie. But this definitely wouldn’t work if the movie hadn’t included Italian actors. It is because of their authenticity that the desire to make the jump to Italy persists throughout the film.
While La Dolce Villa is sweet and makes the audience want to explore all of Italy, it doesn’t feel like the kind of rom-com one would rewatch every year. The storyline is quite predictable as the Field family will inevitably own the villa and start their cooking school. It also doesn’t help that the climax of the movie happens 25 minutes away from the ending. Instead of introducing these new possible villa owners toward the end, it would have worked to see them a few minutes earlier, giving them the chance to work for a resolution. Nevertheless, it’s nice to see father and daughter living the life they had once dreamed of.
Photo credits : Netflix
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