One of my best friends once sent me a text containing a link to a story about smalltown Italy selling homes for $1.  That sounds almost too good to be true, right?  The answer to that question is yes and no.  Yes, you can purchase property in the Italian country for that amount, however, you have to file for Italian citizenship and do a number of other things.  Also, these buildings are typically in need of extensive renovations, and you will have to pay for all those yourself.  There have been some that have made it work, but more often those who try to work the scheme have found it more hassle than what it is worth.  Still, you can understand the appeal.  Us Americans tend to see Europe as classier than our own country, and Italy gets an influx of investment to repair failing parts of their country.  For a Catholic like me, to be near seat of the Church would be a blessing.  Speaking of all these things, except for the Catholic part (sadly), Netflix made a movie about this subject called La Dolce Villa.  That title might sound familiar to certain cinephiles out there, though I have no idea how similar this is to the 1960 classic La Dolce Vita that introduced the world to Italian cinema.  Either way, read my review of La Dolce Villa and tell me how you feel.

Keep in mind the word “feel” as you continue with my treatment of La Dolce Villa, or see the film.  The only thing restaurant consultant Eric (Scott Foley) feels as he travels to Italy to talk his daughter, Olivia (Maia Reficco), from a €1 mistake is annoyance.  Olivia is determined to buy an Italian villa for that price in a remote village nestled in the hills, and she is not interested in her father’s opinion on the matter.  Following the death of her mother, Eric’s wife, Olivia has been living and working in Italy.  To pass the time while mom was sick, she and Olivia would look at homes in the Italian countryside and dream about doing what the daughter is about to do.  Eric’s paternal instincts not only tell him this is a mistake, but that she should return to the United States with him.  Her stubbornness gets him to go along looking at the potential houses, particularly when their guide and quasi-real estate agent shows up, town mayor Francesca (Violante Placido).  Eric and Francesa share one of those glances that tell you in these romantic comedies everything you need to know about how their story will go.  Do not despair, there is still more to tell.  After a few viewings, they come to one that is to Olivia’s liking, but has yet to be listed because it just came to attention of the municipal government after some legal issues regarding the inheritance.  Following a number of attempts to contact those thought to be the heirs, Francesca is eager to put it on the market as a way of helping the town.  Seeing that Olivia is not backing down, Eric offers to help with the costs of renovations.  She accepts, but is adamant that he will be reimbursed once she sells some investments she got from the passing of her mother.  With that, they settle in to begin the process of remodeling.  Eric has trouble letting go of his ideas for the place, including convincing Olivia to flip the villa once it is completed.  He has a fellow micromanager in Francesca, and that is one of the ways they begin to relate to one another.  They also work together in finding the original plans for the site, especially when Olivia takes out a wall and finds an antique pizza oven behind some tile.  The find gives Eric the idea of making the large kitchen space into a place where they can give tourists cooking lessons.  For once, Olivia is on board with this idea.  It also turns this project into a longer one than the original intended month, making his company’s chief executive officer (CEO) back in America, Zola (Giselle Gant), anxious as to whether he will return.  He is caught between his desire to continue growing his ventures at home and making sure his daughter is okay.  The other person who is complicating the situation, but in a good way, is Giovanni (Giuseppe Futia).  He is the chef and owner of a local restaurant, and he has a romantic interest in Olivia.  She initially keeps Giovanni at a distance, but part of what he calls his “charm offensive” is Eric.  Eric and Giovanni begin cooking together in the restaurant’s kitchen, something Eric used to do more often before his wife died.  At the same time, Eric starts spending more time with other townsfolk, primarily Francesca.  Although she, too, attempts to keep their relationship professional, eventually they find they are too attracted to one another.  It goes to a different level after she invites him to a friend’s birthday party and they go back to her place for adult stuff.  All this has Eric changing his mind about Italy and wanting to stay.  The twist in the plot comes when the local permit officer, Bernardo (Tommaso Basili), feeling jilted by Francesca, locates the American inheritors of the villa Eric and Olivia had labored on for so long.  Seeing no way around it, Eric and Olivia are forced to concede the property.  With Olivia taking an interior decorator apprenticeship in Rome, and Eric’s company wanting him to come back to the United States, he tells Francesca that he is leaving.  This is when they realize that they have spelled the previous owner’s last name wrong.  Francesca locates the proper record and is able to prevent Eric from getting on the train and giving away the villa.  And they all lived Italian-ly ever after.

Actually, so swayed by La Dolce Villa has Eric become that he does not board the train and is waiting on the platform when Francesca arrives.  This decision, like many others made throughout the proceedings, are based on feeling.  This nebulous term has a parallel with the Faith life, though it, too, can be vague.  It pertains to how we communicate with God.  There is no one size fits all approach to having a relationship with the Divine.  As great as it is to read the works of the Church Fathers and other spiritual writers throughout the centuries, doing so can also lead one to feel like they are not doing something right.  For instance, studying the ecstatic visions of St. Faustina could make prayer appear like that is the only way to have intimacy with God.  In other words, if you are not seeing Jesus’ Sacred Heart beaming light towards you, then something is wrong.  I do not mean to belittle what she has to say, and reading her diary is of an incalculable value.  What is first needed is a love of God.  To this end, the film has a great line that speaks not only to how our attitude should be towards God, but also what He did for us.  Eric and Olivia at different points reminds us that, “Anything worth loving is worth fighting for.”  If we read the Saints, attempt to apply their thoughts to our own prayer life, feel nothing, and then gave up, what would that say about the love we have for God?  It takes practice, to learn how to pray, to develop a relationship with God, and to fall in love with the Almighty.  These thoughts are found in the dynamics between Eric and Olivia.  They have their set ways of doing things, which causes friction.  Yet, with work, they learn to strengthen their bond as father and daughter in a new way.  A similar example can be seen with Francesca locating the documentation needed for Eric to stay.  It takes sacrifice, each giving up some of their demands, just like Jesus did for us through His Passion.  That was Him fighting for our love.

There is no reason to fight yourself to watch La Dolce Villa.  It is as inoffensive of a romantic comedy as they come, though I could do without the fooling around done by Eric and Francesca.  I also wish there were some direct mention of Catholicism considering they are in Italy.  As mentioned in the introduction, the seat of the Church is there, in Rome.  Regardless, you watch this movie for the pretty Italian scenery.