User reviews

This film is readily available as a DVD, but please save your well-earned money. Fortunately for me I was able to borrow the DVD from our local library so it cost me nothing, only my valuable time.

I thought the whole film lacked any professional standard. A local church dramatic society could do as well, may be better.

I liked the idea of a farce built around the story of Shakepeare's Romeo and Juliet with feuding families and their suffering children.

I may be losing my sense of humour. I hope not. I found myself smiling a few times and I cracked a laugh when the boy's down-to=earth Mum put her chewing gum in the antique vase. There were also a few risqué moments when Romeo lost control when kissing Juliet during their stage performance. It's difficult to hide your enthusiasm when wearing tights.

The medium giving advice on affairs of the heart says "Love is all there is...but we need so much more". This film sure is lacking in something, so skip this one, my friend.

I liked this movie. The unreality of it all is what makes it entertaining. The cast is interesting. The portrayal of the Italian-American wedding is hilarious. Angelina Jolie is billed as "Introducing Angelina Jolie" ........ you are treated to a young, innocent Angelina. Connie Stevens is unrecognizable and I only knew she was a cast member when I viewed the credits. Paul Sorvino has a chance to show some operatic talent which is impressive. The array of food makes you hungry and the events are so unbelievable they make you laugh. I feel fortunate that I was able to find this movie on DVD and could add it to my collection for a very reasonable price. If you are Italian-American or even plain old American, this movie has something to offer.

Love Is All There is a funny movie. It's basically an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, Italian-American style. Two teenagers fall in love, much to the disgust of their feuding parents who own competing catering companies. Lanie Kazan is Rosarios (aka Romeo's) mother who is always going to this nutty psychic-type lady who gives her some obscure clues that her dear son is going to fall in love with someone and forget all about his mother. It turns out that the girl is Gina (aka Juliet) played by Angelina Jolie. So the feuding parents go all out to stop the two from falling in love, and ridiculously enough, the 16 year-olds want to get married at the end.

The movie is hilarious, though some of the other comments posted by other views would probably discourage people from viewing the movie. Sure, the entire love affair between the son and daughter is so stupid. But, I guess that's to be expected since they're just supposed to be dumb teenagers in love. In fact, the real gems of the movie are the parents, particularly Lanie Kazan's role, and the wacky psychich (Joe Bologna's real life wife) because they are just totally wacko people, so it turns out to be a totally wacky comedy. One that I sure enjoyed.

I think it's worth a shot.

Well, TiVo recorded this because of Angelina Jolie. It had 2.5 stars. It seemed promising. It went downhill fast.

There is much overacting, even from Angelina. She's about 20 and playing a 16 year old. There are three characters that are supposed to be Italian. Everyone else is Italian- American. The native Italian accents were good, I thought. The young male lead is cute, my wife says. Everyone else in this movie is a fat Italian woman. Even the men.

I should have known that when Dick Van Patten was cast as a randy doctor, that that was a bad sign. The two couples chasing their kids around are like the four Italian Stooges.

My wife would not let go of the remote. Hopefully she was not taking makeup, clothing or decorating tips. It was a sick and twisted combination of hideous and garish. It was hidegarishous.

Cutting off my left ventricle was not sufficient to distract from the pain of watching this movie. If this movie shows up on your TV, do yourself a favor and ram your head through the TV screen instead. You'll be glad you did. The only movie I've ever seen that was worse than this was "Hamburger: The Movie". Or maybe "Deadly Friend".

OMG this is one of the worst films iv ever seen and iv seen a lot I'm a Film student. I don't understand why Angelina Jolie would be in this movie? Did she need the money that badly? I love AJ and have seen almost everything shes ever been in so i watched this 2 tick another one off. It was SOO bad! not even good bad, just bad bad. It had 1 or 2 funny little moments but all in all it was bad n a waste of 101 minutes. I cant even say AJ looked good in it because well she didn't. The plot is predictable unless you r expecting a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet then its not. All round disappointing. Maybe if your 12 this could be a good film otherwise I really don't recommend it.

Lots of well known actors in this. It is what it is as far as what kind of movie it is. Not the worst movie ever, but certainly not the best.

Angelina though....wow.....she is BAD. That's supposed to be an Italian accent? She sounds like she is from Transylvania. Worst Italian accent I have ever heard. As a Sicilian New Yorker that spent my summers in Sicily, hers is the worst take on an Italian accent that my ears have ever been cursed with listening to.

So if your expectations are not too high you won't be disappointed. If you go into this expecting a masterpiece.....well, that's on you.

I love the cast of this film which reads like a great party. Real-life couple Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna adapts Romeo and Juliet to contemporary Italian families living on City Island in the Bronx. They filmed this film mostly on location. It's worth noting that Angelina Jolie makes her debut as well. Taylor plays a psychic while Bologna plays the Rosario's father who runs a wedding hall on the island. His wife is played by the wonderful Lainie Kazan who seeks spiritual assistance with Mona played by Taylor. Joy Behar also has a small role in this film as one of the Italian wives and mothers. The movie is set around July 4 where the local play is Romeo and Juliet. A mishap causes the original Juliet to lose the role. Then comes Jolie's Regina into the role. Regina and Rosario fall in love as quickly as Romeo and Juliet but it doesn't end badly. Paul Sorvino and Barbara Carrera play Regina's parents who also own a wedding hall.

This truly funny movie has a zany cast of characters, just about every voluptuous middle-aged female in Hollywood, and a touching, funny love story. The Capomezza's and the Malacici's are rival caterers in an Italian neighborhood in New York. They are also at opposite--extreme--ends of the taste scale. Their children are cast in the lead roles of a church production of Romeo and Juliet. Naturally, they fall in love. On stage! The mayhem and confusion that this causes, as the parents feud with each other and their kids, is played out for us against the backdrop of the Capomezza's magnificently tasteless home, and their magnificently tasteless catered weddings.

Besides the four over-the-top parents and the charming young lovers, the characters include a vaguely wise priest, a plain-speaking grandma, a lady who waves a wand and passes on spiritual advice she receives from a medium called The Blessed Roscoe, a motel with beds shaped like the back seat of a car, and two doves. There is not a sight gag or a punch line that doesn't click in this fast paced movie.

Even the family names of the two families are part of the fun. "Capomezza" could be interpreted as "low-brows," and "Malacici" could mean "stuck-up snobs."

If you are sensitive about Italian stereotypes, you may not like this movie. If Bette Midler embarrasses you, you may not like it, because all of the women in this movie make Bette Midler look like Martha Stewart. The rest of us should love it!

A delightfully unpretentious send up of Romeo and Juliet. Approach with no expectations other than having a good time and you will enjoy this one. A talented group of comic actors let go and have a riot in this light-hearted performers' vehicle. Bad reviews were due to a snobbishness about treatments of Shakespeare. Some people feel that all film must be "important" ---If you share those views, don't bother. The credits read "introducing" Angelina Jolie, which is not even close to being true, but she is astoundingly beautiful as the Juliet character, and, as always, her acting is wonderful--- and, considering her age at the time, even her dialect is pretty good. Recreating this classic tale with feuding Italian families in the catering business in New York results in great fun. See it in the right frame of mind and you will laugh out loud.

I didn't see any credit to Shakespeare, but it's a total updated version of Romeo and Juliet! Nate Marston is Rosario, son of caterers Sadie and Mike Capomezzo. Rosario falls in love with Gina (Angelina Jolie). they are performing Romeo and Juliet in school. but their families are competitors in the catering business. and Gina's dad doesn't like all the kissing required for the roles! a couple funny scenes where the parents keep trying to one-up the other couple. and of course the story starts to resemble Romeo and Juliet. hopefully it won't end like their story! So many other fun faces in here as well: Joy Behar. Abe Vigoda (Fish!) Dick van Patten. Connie Stevens is the drama teacher. Bill Hickey is the Monsignor. most people know him from Family Vacation, but he was hilarious in the original Producers. it's pretty corny. so many stereotypes of italians. and new yorkers. and fortune tellers. they spend a lot of time on the fortune teller... they should have spent more time on the script. it works, in a campy, silly sort of way. It's a Bologna family project...Written by Joe and Gabe Bologna, Erik Shapiro, and Renée Taylor directed by Joseph Bologna and Renée Taylor. Joe Bologna is also Rosario's dad. shown on epix channel. Sadly, Marston died at 40 as a result of injuries in a car accident.

A sweet story of first love, emoting Romeo and Juliet in a modern American setting. The whole thing is played as a farce, as between the grownups who are trying to (over)protect their children. Angelina Jolie gives a totally charming performance, that resonates with one's romantic side (if one has that). If you like the actress, you have to have this movie. A fun movie without any message other than, that love is all there is. If it was available on DVD I would buy it in a minute!

Well, if you want to kill an hour or so, don't say I didn't warn you: you'll laugh. It's a silly story stemming from the Romeo & Juliet theme of two very different Italian/American families whose children fall in love.

The late Paul Sorvino is one of my favourite actors, and he doesn't disappoint in a cast with Lainie Kazan as an over-the-top Italian/American momma, Joseph Bologna as her loving. Sensible caterer husband, with William Hicks as a loveable Monseigneur of the local church & an almost unrecognizable Barbara Carrera in a blonde wig as Sorvino's snobbish impeccably dressed wife. Angelina Jolie's first role, apparently, as the Northern Italian daughter ostensibly going to study ballet in Paris (don't ask), who falls in love with a young man playing Romeo in the church play is tailor made for the part: stunningly beautiful in a young, innocent, yet arrogant way. She far outshines her swain, played by Nathaniel Marston, but we rout for his determination & passion.

Written & directed by couple Taylor & Bologna, this light bit of froth is really sweet, depending on mangled English, a real feel for suburban life and love, leavened with some truths about humanity, family, and the virtues of understanding and tolerance.

If you want intellectual stimulation, searing truth about the negative aspects of life, or spectacular special effects, this movie isn't for you, but if you want to enjoy yourself do watch it. I really had fun: Renee Taylor as the chiffon-swathed psychic who knows how to connect to the ether & deliver results, but also knows very well how to charge is perfect in the role: no matter how much you might think psychics are cons, you have to love her real efforts to help people, anywhere and any time. I'm not going to say more except that the two families are caterers, competitors, and deliver their lines effortlessly & well, unflinchingly spitting out some of the most florid, corny, lines that really tickle the funny bone, even.as you groan. It's a feel good movie, an antipasto kind of romcom. Enjoy, & buon appetito!.

First off, let me say I have wanted to see this movie for about a year now because I knew Angelina Jolie was in it and I love her. But my love for her has nothing to do with my opinion of the movie. Anyhow, no video stores carried it but low and behold the local library did. I watched it and absolutely loved it. Yes there were Italian stereotypes but it was done well and funny. It was not degrading in any way.

Every actor and actress did a superb job. I laughed very hard at the sexual humor. Overall, I think this movie is well worth seeing if you can find it. It is adorable and just plain fun to watch. I rarely rank movies as a 10 but I give this one a 10!!!

Go find it and watch it!

I, too, stumbled upon this movie late one night on cable, and woke my husband up laughing and punching him in the ribs!

Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna are funny, funny people (loved him in "Blame It On Rio") Lainie Kazan was perfect as his wife, and Paul Sorvino is just a GREAT actor. Didn't realize till later that this must also have been one of Angelina Jolie's first roles.

As a participant/guest/victim of many Italian wedding extravaganzas, I loved it. A New Yawk version of "Blazing Saddles".

Four out of five stars from me!

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid. I think that Angelina Jolie is probably one of the most talented actress' today, but a movie like this isn't just worth her time. She deserves better, and so does everyone else in this movie. Talent is just wasted. Sorry, but i don't feel like writing a review for this.

I give it NO stars out of *****.

Angelina Jolie in a role showing a charming sweetness to an even higher degree than in 'Playing by Heart'. The courtship plays out against a somewhat contrived background of Italian family rivalry, somewhat reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, but with a Hollywood happy end, even though with heavy handed ethnicity thrown in. If this movie was available on DVD I would buy it in a New York minute ;-). Fun entertainment for the whole family. No doubt I am prejudiced since I really like Angelina, but then what's not to like about her (forget about her personal life)? Charming.

Never saw this film until it was on late-nite TV.

My husband still has bruises from my pounding on him to wake up! I laughed until I cried!

The cast...goes without saying...magnificent. Bravura performances by all. Being brought up in an old-fashioned Italian neighborhood, I was able to identify with so many of the "grownups" in my past.

If you're really bummed, your checking account balance is in red, the IRS is after you, and your sinus headache is keeping you awake, find this film. It will cure all that and smooth out your hangnails, too!

OK - is this "CINEMAAAAA" a/la Bergman, a/la Kurosawa - NO!

Is this entertaining, will make you laff out loud and just a lot of fun - YES!

The cast is outstanding and the humor is broad - the dialogue is hilarious and delivered w. Impeccable old-school comedic timing.

It's preposterous, and delightful.

What more do you want from something like this?

So, relax, enjoy - there's no existential angst, no heavy social awareness - just laffs, just fun - I mean, look at this cast:

Lainie Kazan as Sadie Capomezzo Joseph Bologna as Mike Capomezzo Paul Sorvino as Piero Malacici Barbara Carrera as Maria Malacici Nathaniel Marston as Rosario Capomezzo Angelina Jolie as Gina Malacici Renée Taylor as Mona William Hickey as Monsignor Dick Van Patten as Dr. Rodino Abe Vigoda as Rudy Connie Stevens as Miss Deluca Joy Behar as Mary Vera Lockwood as Donna Sal Richards as Sal Annie Meisels as Dottie Bobby Alto as Joe Fasuli Randy K. Blackman as Flower Girl #1.

The great Paul Sorvino plays a well-bred man who is pained to be forced to socialize with the low-class and vulgar Lainie Kazan and Joe Bologna, but his incredulous and exasperated expressions may just be his own response to finding himself in this movie.

A grandmother sees her grandson play Romeo in his high school production of "Romeo and Juliet" and remarks appreciatively upon the ample size of his genitals. Twice. That is the level of humor in this film.

Your move.

This was truly one of the most hilarious, Italian films I have seen. It truly captures some of the comical Italian atmosphere, although some scenes were too farcical as far as Italian humor goes.All in all a good film that I would see over again.