Love in the Villa (2022) - Netflix rom-com in Verona

Love in the Villa is a romantic comedy starring Kat Graham and Tom Hopper. It is written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson.

If you are looking for a watchable rom-com, with beautiful scenes of Verona (yes, where Romeo and Juliet was set), Love in the Villa is it. Dreamy, humorous, soapy. If you have not had a chance to visit Italy, you can get a taste of the bucolic atmosphere of Verona – remember it is heavy on stereotypes, but you can choose to ignore them. Ahhh, l’amore!

Synopsis

Following her break-up Julie travels to Verona. Much to her dismay the house she has rented, La Villa Romantica, has already been rented out to wine-dealer Charlie Fletcher. Forced to co-habitate in this splendid villa, Julie and Charlie will start to get to know each other.

Movie review

Love in the Villa is a location romantic comedy in all its formulaic splendor. Heartbroken woman travels to the destination of her dreams (the city of love, Verona), something goes wrong (the house she rented is already booked by a Brit, the handsome Charlie Fletcher) thanks to which she meets her new love interest (Charlie).

There is a guaranteed tour of the beautiful city of Verona, full of scenes and sequences showing-off the charming streets, buildings, and its people. And so, Love in the Villa comes together in this magical formula: with tropes about Italians, Brits alike, and easy jokes and puns – “Are you an Uber?”, asks Julie. “Aaaah, I am Uberto”, the cab driver replies with a heavy Italian accent and a big smile. It is a light viewing experience for the more romantic audience, and who want to take a quick trip to Italy.

It is well produced, with all the required ingredients, acceptable performances, a script that follows the pattern as a good rom-com should, great photography, the score is to match.