UNDER STAR REVIEW – The picturesque Italian setting serves as the backdrop to the AI ​​prompt of the romcom | film

AAnyone who thinks it’s easy to make a romantic movie should take a look at this. The film has all the makings: good-looking main characters (Alex Pettyfer, Eva De Dominici), picturesque locations (the film is set mainly in Puglia, and benefits from financing from the region), light comedy music that punctuates the scenes, charismatic veterans in supporting roles (“with Toni Collette… and Andy Garcia”), a transparently designed third-act adventure, and so on. But like the failed soufflé on Bake Off, it never quite rises to the mark.

Pettyfer plays the hero, a romance novelist named Ian. (Yes, Ian. Peep Show has made a huge profit from the absurdity of naming a baby Ian in the 21st century. Without wanting to write down the name, it’s an odd choice and speaks to a broader tone-deafness in the text.) In fact, the plot of Under the Stars is the opposite of, say, the great Richard Curtis story, where implausible scenarios seem entirely realistic: nothing is particularly impossible in Under the Stars, and yet it all seems so utterly improbable.

Perhaps none of this would matter if there were more of that elusive chemistry between the main characters, but despite the physical resemblance to the AI ​​results of the rom-com’s attractive heroes, watching Pettyfer and DeDomenici’s characters try to ignite a spark is like watching someone try to start a fire with a wet toilet roll and a magnifying glass. Early on, Colette’s fictional character watches a television adaptation of her work. “Some idiot made a mini-series of Last Lovers in Paradise,” she sniffed. “I mean the actors are doing their best, but I’m telling you, it’s sad.” Well, totally.