Love in the Villa Synopsis: A young woman takes a trip to romantic Verona, Italy, after a breakup, only to find that the villa she reserved was double-booked, and she’ll have to share her vacation with a cynical British man.
Just before their week-long trip to Verona, Italy, Julie’s longtime boyfriend, Brandon, breaks up with her. She decides to go anyway, only to find out that the villa she’s rented has been double booked.
With no other option, Julie (Kat Graham) must share the villa with Charlie (Tom Hopper), a Brit with a hard streak of pessimism. Neither wants to leave, so Charlie and Julie try a variety of tactics to run the other off, but eventually, a truce is made, and sparks fly.
As I have mentioned in previous reviews, I am always a little cautious when it comes to Netflix rom-coms. They’re pretty hit or miss, usually miss, but every now and then, you get a hit. Love in the Villa lands… somewhere in the middle.
Contrived? Sometimes. Entertaining? Yes. Kat Graham and Tom Hopper have the kind of chemistry that can make a mediocre script sizzle, but the thing is, Love in the Villa doesn’t really have a mediocre script. It has a pretty decent script. It may not break ground in the genre, but it has a lot of genuinely amusing and romantic moments, which is all a rom-com fan can really hope for these days.
The charming Graham seems to have found her niche in these kinds of movies (The Holiday Calendar, Operation Christmas Drop), and Hopper has a knack for physical comedy.
It was difficult not to compare this movie to Letters to Juliet. Both center on a woman going through some romantic changes in her life, fleeing to Verona, taken in by the romance of it all, and falling in love with a foreigner who, at first, was her adversary. But Love in the Villa does it better, despite Letters to Juliet’s incredible casting.
I’m not saying Love in the Villa is a great movie, but it’s worth watching if you like romantic comedies. It can be pretty silly sometimes, but thankfully, the eye-roll-inducing moments are infrequent enough not to ruin the entire thing. Hopper and Graham are great together, the setting is lovely and romantic, and I think anyone who enjoys a fun enemies-to-lovers plot will enjoy this one.
Watched: 09.23.2022
Notable Song: Give Me Light by Marti West