A sweeping romance through the Italian countryside as a young woman searches for the perfect frozen treat.
The movie, made under the direction of Brandon Camp, is based on the same-named book by Jenna Evans Welch. The film follows Lina, a 17-year-old American who is forced to go to Rome to fulfil her mother’s final desire. Lina, a shy adolescent, found it difficult to understand why her late mother would need her to travel alone to Italy.
Since her mother intended to travel with her if she had been living, she missed her and hoped that despite her awkwardness, she would face the cross-country trip. But once made, the promise has to be maintained.
Awkward girl Lina resolves to travel alone on the high school graduation vacation they had planned to Italy on her mother’s deathbed. That’s where her mother had grown up, fallen in love, given birth, and left her first boyfriend 18 years before. Her perspective gradually changes when Lina is forced to confront her worries and cope with the mysteries of her mother’s history. Lina is thrust into a foreign culture that is far too chaotic and disorganised for her analytical and geeky nature.
Lina will come to see the world and herself completely differently as she is exposed to breathtaking landscapes, strange yet delicious meals, and unexpected romantic encounters.
How Lina’s voyage leads to the world of self-discovery.
Lina’s journey, though, is undoubtedly distinct from her mother’s. Although Lina stays with her mother’s closest friend and travels the city using her mother’s journal as a map, her time in the bizarre, beautiful world helps her embrace who she is and helps her learn things about her mother that she was unaware of.
In Netflix’s Love and Gelato, Lina finds herself seduced, confused, and yet craving for more. She searches for her father, learns about the history her mom had but never revealed, and finds herself in a confusing love triangle.
Susanna Skaggs portrays Lina Emerson, the uncomfortable character we are all familiar with; she is the typical awkward, geeky adolescent who has never experienced love. The story attempts to meet Leena very clumsy, which I thought was an odd choice. She is brilliant and observant, so they make her stumble to make her less intimidating because of her brain.
As a test book cliché, an awkward teenager who has never been in love falls head over heels on her journey to self-discovery.
Her closest friend, Addie, appears in the movie to support Lina. Another familiar character stereotype is the black, overeager best buddy. She is a social media enthusiast and pushes it on Lena sometimes, who is not a social media person. She has always desired more for her closest buddy in life. Always available whenever a call comes in from abroad.
Typical Rom-com love angle or something fresh for audiences ?
Then there is the romance, which has a couple of pleasant moments, but it all feels slight.
The wealthy heir in Rome who has a thing for Lina is Alessandro. Alessandro, or Ale, is a handsome young man who is sure to become the love interest in the story. He’s undoubtedly privileged, but he’s not entirely likeable, and there are some. He has a horrible reputation in the city and is moving to America for education. from the playboy lifestyle he was forced to lead and being entangled in his family’s expectations. He wants to demonstrate to Lina that he is not who he appears to be and that there is more to Italy than meets the eye.
We also meet Lorenza, another potential love interest in the story.
A chef named Lorenzo volunteers to assist Lina. He’s the standard shy slash, geeky guy. He is well-versed in the city’s mysteries. Being the ideal host to guide a visitor around the city.
The storyline is pretty simple as we have Lena working on self-discovery.
Self-discovery is a topic that the novel excelled at and on which it flourished. The idea seems to have been lost in translation sometime during the adaptation. The performers’ sluggish delivery does not help, and perhaps only Anjelika Washington and Tobia De Angelis have the on-screen chemistry necessary to keep you interested and involved.
Two potential love interests appear in her life, which can be considered offshoots to the story.
In the world of Gelatos, Lina finds love
Lina tries to return on this voyage in time because she won’t realise who her father is. Since her daughter’s birth, Her mother had kept her background a secret. Lina was trying to track out her father while still managing her own life while looking through her mother’s journal. Alessandro Albani, a Harvard student and the affluent son of a wealthy family, struck up a friendship with Lina. Lorenzo Ferrazza, a budding chef, exposed Lina to a world of bakeries and gelatos.
Lina always intended to travel the world but never to make hasty decisions. Only at the film’s conclusion is it made clear who Lina chose as her lover. Rome is featured in various beautiful scenes in Brandon Camp’s movie, like St. Peter’s Square. Without the food, an Italian film wouldn’t have been complete, and thankfully, food has always been the unifying way of bringing people together.
The title itself mentions Gelato. What more could a person want? He was about to disclose Gelato’s fifth and most crucial component when his grandmother interrupted him. Even though the viewer is kept in the dark about the element, Lina doesn’t reveal that she now understands what it was until the very end of the movie.
Should you go ahead and watch it?
Love and Gelato is a good romantic comedy to see overall. It is neither unique or distinctive. But it’s plenty to allow you to break free from your daily routine. In some aspects, it is encouraging and upbeat, and its cinematography is stunning. Love may frequently fall short, yet it still makes an effort to be better than average. Our only desire is that it would try harder. The characters and how the performers portrayed them were what I cared about. I like Susanna Skaggs and Tobia De Angelis, who play Lina and Ren, respectively.
They’re great, and I think their relationship is unique. They undoubtedly reached the core of the narrative. On the positive side, Love & Gelato looks nice, and if all you’re looking for is a quick trip to Italy or some sunlight on your screen, it can indeed deliver that. Love & Gelato is excellent to look at, and it may serve as light entertainment if it’s pouring outdoors or you want to escape for a little while.
In the romantic comedy, a young woman can be seen learning about life. SimilarLike her mother, she embarks on her quest to comprehend life. Enjoying Rome, the setting for this film, is a magnificent city. Along the trip, we get to take in the splendour of various regions of Italy. We won’t see any sparks fly, but the romance will seem like it. As we discover, the motivation behind the voyage is meeting strangers.