When in Venice

Well so subtle it is!. Great writing, great acting. Had no expectations. Hadn't read any reviews and didn't know what to expect. Though I did wonder about main character's seriousness and endless sms messages and thought ok where's the hit man. But it completely transformed into an unpretentious relationship story. = On the bounce from a break up - naturally one would be putting up barriers. The girl does a great job of enjoying the moment and dragging Max out of slough of despond. Though I (prob identifying too much with the serious German guy Max) could see where she was coming from and her genuineness, there were moment when I felt I would happily push the girl into the canal if she didnt stop smiling and saying everything is wonderful ;-) All against backdrop of great pics of Venice. No happy ever after, no baddies, no goodies, no bodies just mellow 24 hours. I think we're all a bit conditioned by mr ridley, death in venice etc and you'll probably be looking for more action- just go with the flow and imagine one of your own romantic breakups. I think with that mindset you'll (maybe) thoroughly enjoy the absence of 'evil'

As this story developed it reminded me of the 1995 movie "Before Sunrise" with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, where they meet on a train and end up spending the night in Vienna getting to know each other before he has to fly back to the States.

In this movie Max is in Italy for some sort of work-related gathering and he is at the bar one evening, alone, when Maria sits next to him and they make small talk. She wanted to see Venice and wondered if he would accompany her, just as friends. On the short train ride to Venice they even made up a few rules, like no holding hands and no kissing.

It turns out Max is fresh from a breakup that he is trying to mend, with no success. She has recently lost a family member and her desire to tour Venice is related to that.

So, much like "Before Sunrise" this story is mostly about Max and Maria getting to know each other. Which in itself is interesting, but neither exciting nor novel. However the great scenery adds a nice dimension to this movie and makes it worthwhile.

At home, streaming on Prime.

Its a shocker, slow, boring, no real story, the dialogue was just a jumble of meaningless sentences. One of the worst films I have seen this year. It looked like somene walked around Venice with a camera following two people who were instucted to read out some random lines. So a pretty young woman who main job was to walk around with a huge smile with a dour looking bloke with no redeeming features apart from the fact he wasnt a serial killer. Then it comes to an abrupt end the credits roll. At which point my wife comments, well that was @@@ wasnt it. A succinct summary of the film and saves me having to describe it in more detail.

Fell asleep twice, and I wasn't drunk or tired. The girl seems so happy, too happy all the time. Couldn't finish it, so not sure what else to say. Seems like a college student made it for an intro to film class. Not sure what the plot is. Character development is as slow as the movie. Venice is a beautiful city, but very little interaction with native people there makes it seem or feel isolated. Maybe it was all a bad dream at the end. Who knows? If I had not fallen asleep twice, maybe my review would have more merit. I am sorry. But still one of the slowest paced movies ever made! Some may like it, though.

My daughters and I really liked the film. The story is light and enjoyable and the music seems to guide us through the unique inner corridors and canals of this breathtaking city. A must watch for anyone who has ever dreamed of one day visiting Venice or who has already had the privilege to go there.