Appearing at the end of closing credits for Solo Mio comes this simple phrase: “Deo Gratias.”
That’s Latin for “Thanks Be to God” — and it’s appropriate not only due to the film’s Italian setting, but also because that’s the way most viewers will feel after seeing it.
Indeed, this popular rom-com — just finishing at local theaters after a strong five-week run — has already made over $25 million on a startlingly modest $4 million budget.
Starring Kevin James, Solo Mio leans heavily on the earnest everyman persona that made him a star in TV’s King of Queens — and such hit movies as Hitch and Paul Blart. Here, James plays slightly against type as a balding sad-sack who gets stood up at the altar after planning a huge, pricey wedding in Rome.
So much for “the Eternal City.”
One major plot-hole left me wondering what happened to all his friends and relatives who made the trip — as James’s likable Matt Taylor winds up alone, trying desperately to enjoy all the couple-based activities in his costly honeymoon package.
The abandonment is partly explained by Matt’s panic-induced night in jail — though even that feels narratively problematic. But the thing is: This film is so engaging that it’s easy to leap over such logical gaps and just enjoy the ride.
Especially after Matt meets a charming and lovely coffee-shop-owner who signs on to help with his loneliness — and with his cultural and linguistic struggles, too.
It’s not hard to see where this is going; but Solo Mio does take a few left turns.
Some involve two other troubled couples who aren’t helping Matt at all. The male in one pair is played by Jonathan Roumie — instantly recognizable from his stint as Jesus in TV’s The Chosen; and in the other by Kim Coates, a lesser-known actor who handily steals several scenes in this picture.
Another left turn takes the whole entourage to a country house owned by legendary Italian singer Andrea Bocelli — here essentially playing himself.
And yes, Bocelli does some winsome singing, including a terrific duet with his daughter, Virginia — and a showstopper with James.
My wife observed that Bocelli’s presence in the film conveniently saves James from having to sing “Nessun Dorma” by himself. It also helps that Bocelli provided his own Italian villa for location shooting these scenes.
In any case, finishing out the series of left turns is a nifty twist that the movie keeps up its sleeve till the very end. Not only is this all but impossible to foresee, but also, I myself needed quite some time to track back through the film and figure out how this connected to earlier plot developments; but then, I can be awfully dense about stuff like that.
Fortunately, I’m not too dense to know a good film when I see it.
Funny, fast, colorful and romantic, this is yet another family-friendly gem from the increasingly successful Angel Studios.
Slated to start streaming this week, it remains at the District through Thursday.
