Sabrina - Vacanze romane

This was a mildly enjoyable film, but nowhere near as good as the TV series from which it is derived, lacking the manic sense of humour and deranged surrealism. The film is a bit slow moving and jokes are subordinated to plot, which is unfortunate because the plot is nebulous and badly thought out. Another problem is that this is basically a sit-com character taken out of the usual situation from which the comedy derives. Sabrina the Teenage Witch is essentially a vicious and well-observed parody of banal American high-school dramas which take themselves too seriously. Without this context, there is much less scope for humour. Nevertheless, there are some very funny scenes, and at least we get to see the lovely Melissa Joan Hart against the equally lovely backdrop of Rome. Tara Charendoff is also very sexy as an English witch (with an almost convincing accent!) and you get to see her kissing a lot of pigeons (don't ask!). But has her cockney guinea pig got the worst accent since Dick Van Dyke? "Cor bloimey myte, 'e blinken well 'as". But overall a reasonable effort. "Wicked", as we supposedly say in England...

I saw "Sabrina goes to Rome" and "Roman Holiday" in the same weekend. I saw a lot of similarities besides where they took place. True, Princess Ann never had a talking cat, but she was escorted around Rome by two photographers who were planing to sell the pictures of her to magazines. The same thing happened to Sabrina. Luckily, they had a change of heart. I'm not comparing Audrey Hepburn with Melissa Joan Hart, but remember Audrey's movie "Sabrina"? Anyway "Sabrina Goes to Rome" is a quality film. It's not a "Roman Holiday" but it's pretty good.

I grew up devoted to the Archie comics, including Sabrina, so I was a little worried when I heard they were going to make a TV show of Sabrina. Would they get it right? Would they capture the spirit and intent of the original version. I was highly skeptical to say the least, but after viewing the first TV show, I was ecstatic! They had done it even better than the comic!

Sabrina quickly became my favourite show, and I was even happier when it continued to improve throughout the seasons. The witty lines, the cute magic, the great personalities and the wonderful lessons Sabrina learned in human values all combined to make it into the best show on television.

That's why I'm more than a little disappointed with this movie. It drags! The witty lines are few and far between, the humour misses more often than it hits, the storyline is farcical, the acting is stagey. Even Salem, who makes the TV show so good, is not at his best. The whole cast seems uncomfortable.

I love films, and I usually focus on the good points of even the bad ones, as there is usually something to love in almost all films. But with this film, it's very difficult. I can't recommend it, and I think most Sabrina fans would be disappointed. I've given it only 2 out of 10.

*** This review was accidentally deleted by me, so I resent it ***

I remember watching "Sabrina Goes To Rome" with my sister when I was 8 years old. Even though I don't have an exact memory of it, I still remember I loved it. This film had a healthy mixture of adventure, excitement and a pinch of romance. Melissa John Hart portrayed the rightful role of a young witch in a quest to solve the mystery of a locket and release the power within to save her Aunt Sophia, meeting friends along the way.

Typically, this film isn't one of those expensive Oscar-nominated movies, but it's fun. It is my intension to travel to Rome one day and this film brought out the best of it. From beautiful landscapes to beautiful landmarks (Trevi Fountain) I should say it would be a perfect holiday! Recommended to any Sabrina fan.

Teenage witch Sabrina Spellman (Melissa Joan Hart) is given a locket by her father to unlock in Rome in 2 weeks and save her Aunt Sophia lost for 400 years. Her talking cat Salem Saberhagen stowaway with her. She's shocked to find Gwen (Tara Strong) as her roommate. Gwen is an even worst witch. Sabrina encounters American Paul. Paul and his friend Travis start following Sabrina and witness suspicious happenings. They strike up a deal to photograph her witchcraft for $250k.

Basically, Sabrina leaves her TV show for a break in Rome. The film quality is relatively low-grade TV. At least, she actually goes to Rome and there is some travelog. The new character Gwen has an annoying squeaky voice. It's a bit pointless to have only Sabrina and Salem in a movie to accompany the TV show.