DHAHRAN: Do all roads really lead to Rome? In the newly released “Solo Mio,” which hit Saudi cinemas over the weekend, you get a one-way ticket to find out.
The story starts at a US school, where 50-something-year-old goofy fourth-grade art teacher Matt Taylor (Kevin James) proposes — in Italian — to fellow teacher, Heather (Julie Ann Emery), with the aid of elated students.
Fast-forward to their wedding day in Rome, the music starts to play, but Heather is nowhere to be found.
At first, Matt smiles then panic ensues as he scrambles to find her — only to locate a handwritten goodbye note, the ring and her unworn wedding dress. Heather is a runaway bride.
Realizing it is too late to change his reservations, Matt ends up going on his booked couples package alone.
What follows are the to-be-expected scenes, following a grief-stricken and bewildered protagonist.
An ensemble cast including American couple Julian (Kim Coates) and his wife Meghan (Alyson Hannigan); and Neil (Jonathan Roumie) and his therapist-turned bride Donna (Julee Cerda) is completed by “coffee lady,” Gia, played by the Italian actress Nicole Grimaudo.
“Solo mio,” the title of the film, translates to “only mine,” something Gia teaches Matt after he incorrectly uses it in a sentence. The title becomes more fitting as time goes on.
There is a curveball thrown into the tried-and-tested narrative and several lines elicited genuinely loud laughs at the cinema — which is to be expected from a lead star who helmed sitcom smash hit “The King of Queens” — but all in all, it is a slightly clunky watch. Some of the most enduring scenes were clustered at the end — almost rushed — and writing is a bit flimsy, especially for having so many writers. Meanwhile, the charming cameos (no spoilers) felt forced.
Directed by brothers Charles and Daniel Kinnane and co-written by James and two other Kinnane brothers, Patrick and John, it feels like a bring-friends-to-work affair.
The question still remains: do we need another film about a sad American trying to “Live, Laugh, Love” in Italy? Probably not. But it is still a fun watch.
