Title: La Dolce Villa
Actors: Scott Foley, Violante Placido, Maia Reficco
Director Mark Waters:
Writers: Elizabeth Hackett, Hilary Galanoy
Genre: Romcom
Length: 1 hour and 39 minutes
My Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️🖤
La Dolce Villa
Olivia has a new dream—she wants to buy a one-euro villa in a charming Italian town. Her father, Eric, isn’t thrilled about the idea and flies to Italy to talk her out of it. But Olivia is determined to make it happen. Realizing she won’t back down, Eric decides to stay for a month to help with the renovations. As he spends more time with his daughter and the town’s warm community, he finds himself slowly falling in love with the place too.
Review
A few years ago, I remember watching a TV show where couples bought one-euro houses and completely renovated them. I really enjoyed it, so naturally, I had to watch this movie too.
There were so many things I loved about this film. First, they actually speak both Italian and English, which I really appreciate. It seems like Netflix has made it a tradition to produce at least one or two movies a year set in a European country where they use the local language. I always enjoy those! The only thing that slightly bothered me was that Eric, the father, learned Italian but would still randomly switch to English at times.
The setting was absolutely beautiful—a charming small town in Italy that gave off such strong spring and summer vibes. That was exactly what I needed since the past few days have been freezing with lots of snow. Watching this made me even more excited for warmer weather.
The characters were likable, and the acting turned out to be pretty good. I had my doubts in the first few minutes, but that quickly faded. My absolute favorites were the old ladies who sat by the fountain every single day—especially since they were all named Antonia!
The storyline was heartwarming. The father and daughter grow closer, and both have their own love stories. It’s a sweet, feel-good romantic movie. My only complaint is that I wish we had seen more of Olivia’s love story. A few extra scenes would have been nice since most of the focus was on Eric finding love again after losing his wife.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. It’s perfect if you’re in the mood for a lighthearted rom-com that will transport you straight to a dreamy Italian summer. And as a bonus, the Italian language adds to the charm—I don’t speak it, but it sounds so beautiful!