What happens when a newly single 3rd grade teacher from the US gets stuck in a 1-bedroom villa in Verona, Italy with an arrogant British bloke who makes a living off working for a wine company, FIREWORKS. Watch this movie only if you have had a stressful day and are in a serious mood for mindless comedy. If you are looking to watch a true-blue romantic movie, chances are you will not find much luck in this Villa.
Julie (Kat Graham), a 3rd grade teacher in Minneapolis is a heartless romantic and an incredibly organized person who never leaves home without a set plan for the day. Her dream is to go on holiday to Verona, Italy with her partner and visit the places that made the epic love story Romeo and Juliet world famous. Her partner of 4 years, Brandon (Raymond Ablack) unfortunately breaks up with her right before they are due to depart for Verona because she plans the trip in a completely meticulous manner by making reservations for all the places they intend on visiting. He cringes at her organization skills and suggests that they take a break. One would think that if a guy has such a problem with his girlfriend planning everything, it should not take 4 years for him to realize. Just goes to show how a good script makes or breaks a movie.
Emotionally vulnerable Julie decides she is not going to be affected by this heartbreak and books the Villa de Romantica which is in the epicenter of all things romantic in Verona. She arrives at the villa dead tired after a 22-hour flight only to find that there is a double booking and that Charlie (Tom Hopper) is sitting in the kitchen sampling wine! Obnoxious Charlie makes poor Julie sleep on the couch, and this is when Julie realizes that she needs to get this ghastly individual out of this villa.
The animosity develops into a full-blown rivalry where both parties indulge in high level sabotage tactics to ensure that one or another leaves the villa. As sadistic as these tactics were they certainly looked hilarious on the big screen. Julie gets Charlie arrested for breaking into the villa after she gets the owner Silvio to change the villa locks when Charlie goes out for work. Charlie exacts his vendetta against Julie when he meets airport staff who is in possession of Julie’s suitcase and gets them to donate her clothes to charity telling them that she has been moved to a mental asylum. If going to jail or being in Verona without clothes was not enough, what would you say to a villa which was infiltrated by cats? Oh yes, Julie discovers that Charlie is allergic to cats and decides to take advantage of this by letting cats into the house after lining sleeping Charlie’s body with Olives. Poor Charlie wakes up with blisters all over his body due to feline invasions.
After a 2nd near arrest, both realize that they need to call a truce and make up after a food fight by drinking wine together. Charlie has been visiting Verona for the past 6 years prior to Julie’s trip as he works for a British wine company which imports and distributes wines from several places including Verona, however he has not seen the place therefore, Julie takes it upon herself to show him around.
The movie does well in blending Charlie’s nonchalant attitude towards his work into the emotional aspects of the movie especially in scenes where they visit Charlie’s customer’s vineyard who is on the verge of bankruptcy and needs to increase the price of his wine to remain solvent. Charlie plays a tough negotiator and loses the contract because he does not take his client’s feelings into consideration. The decision of the client to stay firm on the price is fueled by none other than Julie who has an opportunity to interact with the owner of the vineyard when he gives her a tour of the premises.
The movie aims to convey a message about couples who influence one another to do the correct thing in their life decisions are the ones that last the longest. The incidents surrounding the vineyard customer blend work and romance to reflect compatibility very well. Mark Steven Johnson, the director of this movie has used the location to his complete advantage by showcasing the artistic and adventurous aspects of the place to the audience. The scenes shot in the vineyard were stunning. They are given a final opportunity to confirm their compatibility when both their ex’s turn up in Verona in a final attempt to make use of the location to rekindle their failed romances. Charlie’s fiancé plays an ignorant and mean fashionista who stops by Verona before going for Paris Fashion Week. The next day the O’ so selfish Brandon shows up at the villa to make up with Julie. The sequences become dramatic towards the tail end of the movie, and I personally feel that this was redundant as the drama is the biggest spoiler of this otherwise likable flick. The most cringeworthy sequence is when both couples collide into one another when they are out and about in Verona and decide to have dinner together. The actions and conversation reflect their incompatibility to the Nth. Despite the horrible dinner, Brandon decides to propose to Julie after they leave, I attribute this ridiculous action to a bad script.
On the overall, Love in the Villa receives a 7/10 score. The lead actors deliver likable performances as both characters begin to grow on the audience. Sequences involving their one-on-one time together are sweet and romantic. Comedy sequences are sadistic but do well in tickling the funny bone of the audience. It falls short on the story which I feel could have been helmed better if redundant sequences involving the supporting characters were reduced. Kudos to stunning locations which certainly added more fuel to the budding fire in the villa.
