Solo Mio (United States, 2026)

Solo Mio is pretty much what one could reasonably expect from a Kevin James romantic movie: genial, good-natured, and ultimately pretty bland. Distributed by Angel Studios, which applies a "seal of approval" based on Hays Code-like metrics, the film is largely devoid of sex, profanity, and violence. Aside from a few fairly chaste kisses and the occasional use of the word "hell," the content remains strictly family-friendly. While the film's climax is a bit of a mess, the rest of the movie goes down easily (without threatening to come back up) and serves as a nice Valentine to Italy, even if the soundtrack overdoses on Italian standards. 

It has been nearly 20 years since James last played his signature TV role on The King of Queens and 13 years since he patrolled the mall as Paul Blart. Since then, James has been keeping busy with smaller, more low-profile projects, and Solo Mio seems designed to continue that trend. If he was looking for a movie to re-establish himself as a major theatrical lead, this isn't it. It feels like a production that was happily on its way to the Hallmark Channel before it got hijacked and thrown into theaters. Angel is a marketing powerhouse—a sort-of Christian Blumhouse—but even they will be challenged to pack theaters for a film this low-stakes. 

The story follows Matt Taylor (James), a balding, 60-ish elementary school art teacher who is finally about to do something he has dreamed about but never thought would happen: get married. However, the unthinkable occurs when his bride-to-be, Heather (Julie Ann Emery), leaves him at the altar. Left with a non-refundable honeymoon in Rome, Matt goes it alone, harboring a fading hope that she might change her mind. During his stay, he is helped and occasionally harassed by the two newlywed couples occupying his floor: the thrice-married Julian (Kim Coates) and Meghan (Alyson Hannigan), and a therapist-patient duo named Donna (Julee Cerda) and Neil (Jonathan Roumie). Naturally, Matt meets someone new in Gia (Nicole Grimaudo), a local café owner who flirts with him almost from their first meeting. Even Andrea Bocelli makes a few appearances, seemingly shoehorned into the screenplay simply because he was available. 

It might be unfair to say the movie works better as a travelogue than a rom-com, but there is some truth to it. The film goes out of its way to highlight the beauty of Rome and the Italian countryside. Directors Chuck and Dan Kinnane portray the setting with such reverence that Woody Allen’s vision of New York looks gritty by comparison. Unfortunately, the film fails to check a key box of the genre: the comedy. Aside from a few lighthearted moments, this is not a funny movie. It isn’t that the jokes try and fail; they simply aren’t there. This is much more of a straightforward story about a man recovering from a painful blow and finding love in the process. 

The film is strongest early on, doing a credible job of showing how Matt struggles with the grief of losing not only the woman he loves but the future he had finally started to believe in. His subsequent romance with Gia has some pleasant moments, and James shares a decent chemistry with Nicole Grimaudo, though there aren't many sparks to speak of. The PG rating ensures that the bedroom door remains closed and that the two are never even in that room together. They are arguably more believable as platonic friends than would-be lovers, but the filmmakers still do a good, albeit cliché-riddled, job of developing their relationship until a contrivance temporarily splits them apart. 

Excepting the final scene, the last 15 minutes are messy, poorly conceived, and unsatisfying. Solo Mio uses artifice to achieve a false catharsis and rushes the reunion of the main characters in a way that doesn't allow the romantic fantasy to gel. While the "rush to the finish" is a common problem in rom-coms trying to bridge the complications phase with a happy ending, it feels more egregious here than in most cases. It is possible to make a touching rom-com with a less-than-likely male lead—such as the John Candy classic Only the Lonely—and James attempts something similar with good results. His Matt is grounded and believable, which keeps the movie afloat for the first 80 minutes. However, the production values and family-friendliness scream "streaming," and that remains the best way to see it.

Solo Mio (United States, 2026)