Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on June 2013

In his wonderfully scenic postcard from Rome, Woody Allen blends the plausible with the surreal, lightly intercutting four unconnected stories about today’s celebrity culture and the need we all feel to be perceived, in some way and maybe just a little bit, as extraordinary. Too many actors to list, but the bittersweet storyline involving Alec Baldwin is some of the best writing Allen has done in years, and it holds up the sillier bits. Not among Allen’s greats, but molto bene. Bad news for foreign moviegoers: Half of it’s in Italian, but the subs are only in Japanese. Maybe wait to rent.