Solo Mio: A Review

SOLO MIO

There is a distinct pleasure in seeing a movie that is unapologetic and open about itself. Such is the case with Solo Mio. Simple, sweet and direct, Solo Mio charms the viewer with its story of love lost and found.

Matt Taylor (Kevin James) is over the moon when his elementary school teacher girlfriend Heather McNally (Julie Ann Emery) accepts his marriage proposal. It is off to Rome for a great wedding. Unfortunately, Heather has become a runaway bride. She leaves a Dear John letter along with Matt's engagement ring when she flees. Matt is understandably shocked and devasted. Worse, he cannot exchange or get a refund on the Two Become One travel package. 

He stays in Rome, convinced that Heather will return. He also opts to keep using the Two Become One package despite the obviousness of him being alone. Two couples soon note this and attempt to take Matt under his wing. One is Julian and Meghan (Kim Coates and Alyson Hannigan). They are on their third marriage to each other. The other is Neal and Donna (Jonathan Roumie and Julee Cerda). They met when Donna was Neal's therapist. Matt is flustered but accepting of the other couples' well-meaning though to him eccentric efforts. 

One person who does help is Gia (Nicole Grimaudo). She is the local cafe owner whose coffee shop is the starting point of the various Two Become One tours. Gia offers an understanding ear and a bright smile. She takes a shine to this bald American and soon whisks the reluctant and reticent American through Rome. Matt still pines for Heather but ultimately is convinced by his impromptu bros that he needs to move on.

The best way to do that is to invite Gia to Tuscany, the next leg of the Two Become One package. Gia, who is having difficulty with her landlord/ex, thinks it is the perfect opportunity to visit relatives in the area. Among them is none other than her Uncle Andrea, as in Andrea Bocelli. Will Matt and Gia find that they are meant to be?

Solo Mio is like a Tuscan sun. It is warm, bright and joyful. The script by John and Patrick Kinnane along with star Kevin James, knows that Solo Mio is intended as a sweet, slightly goofy romantic comedy. The film is something of a Kinnane family project, as Solo Mio is directed by Charles and Daniel Kinnane. 

The script is surprising in how there is nothing truly objectionable about it. It has one of the best subversions of expectations that I have seen in recent years. There is a subplot of Matt attracting the unwanted attention of Claudia (Caterina Silva). She is a lusty and usually drunk Italian woman who first bumps into Matt at the bar the other Two Become One couples take him to. As she keeps hitting on a still-shellshocked Matt, he tells him, "I like your hair". At first, it is suggested visually that Claudia and Matt will hook up due to their mutual drunkenness. In a clever twist, we find that this is not the case. In fact, it is a sight gag at Matt's expense.

Solo Mio takes some traditional tropes and upends them somewhat. Our two couples are eccentric and slightly silly. Julian's continuing insistence that Matt go after "the coffee lady" and Neal's meeker manner are presented in slightly broad ways. However, we also see that Julian and Neal have their own issues. A nice moment is when Julian and later Neal both walk into Matt's suite. They offer their own wacky comfort while also taking jabs at Matt. A slight argument about Matt wearing an Ed Sheeran t-shirt is played well. The Kinnane Brothers do not let the actors go over-the-top here in zaniness. In fact, it is surprisingly underplayed. It is nice to see these three couples (counting when Gia joins them) bond.

We see this when the couples and Matt go to a rooftop party. One would not expect that Julian and Neal's sincere but whacked out version of Dobie Gray's Drift Away would be the setting for a nice romantic scene between Matt and Gia. That in itself is oddly charming. That Claudia pops up to put her own mark on the scene makes it funny. 

Solo Mio is fully aware as a mix of sincere and slightly absurd. This carries over into the performances. While best known as a stand-up comic and sitcom star, Kevin James is called here to play something like the straight man. He makes Matt into a sympathetic figure without making him a tragic one. We do get a nice bit of dramatic acting from James when he reflects on his loss. He talks to a slightly uninterested and drunk Claudia about how he thought that he never thought he'd have a chance to marry, how he felt that Heather was a miracle only to have it blow up in his face; it is hard not to feel for him.

James also keeps to Solo Mio's slightly goofy nature, such as when attempting to downplay Julian and Neal's ideas of what he and "the coffee lady" might get up to in Tuscany. He makes Matt's curious plight a bit humorous in his stumbling manner. Attempting to make puns with Gia, he says, "I was trying to be funny". Without missing a beat, Gia replies quite cheerfully, "Keep trying". 

In this scene, we see Matt as a genuinely nice guy. We see Gia as equally pleasant, almost amused by this American. Grimaudo's delivery shows that there was no malice or sarcasm in her statement. She was actually trying to be helpful. Nicole Grimaudo is a standout in Solo Mio. She plays Gia as mostly cheerful and optimistic. It makes it easy to believe that she would eventually be enchanted by Matt. She does have some good dramatic moments. There is a scene in her cafe after the rooftop party where it is just Gia and Matt. Here, Gia also talks a bit about her background. The way it is both played and directed reveals a soft touch. We end up caring about the characters.

This extends to the supporting cast. Other actors perhaps would have made Julian a bit creepy or sleazy. Kim Coates makes Julian more clueless but well-meaning. At heart, Julian wants Matt to heal from this awful heartbreak. He goes about it by suggesting random hookups and pursuing "the coffee lady". Those might be poor choices. However, they come from a good place. Jonathan Roumie's Neal is the counter to Julian's more aggressive manner. He makes Neal's meeker manner pleasant but equally misguided. 

While Alyson Hannigan and Julee Cerda as Meghan and Donna have less to do, they also add to the overall charm. They are combative and dominant towards their husbands. However, they also love them and like everyone else, are well meaning. It is always nice to see Andrea Bocelli play a version of himself. It is also nice to hear him sing a few songs. Who would imagine that Bocelli and James dueting on Nessun Dorma would work?

Well, work as reasonably as it could considering that Matt does not know all the words. 

Solo Mio runs a brisk 96 minutes. Short, simple, sweet, amusing, delightful and self-aware, Solo Mio hits all the notes of a successful romantic comedy. The more I think on it, the more I am delighted with Solo Mio. Vincero indeed. 

DECISION: B+