Deceitful Love

"Deceitful Love" was exactly what I needed-a well-timed guilty pleasure that let me escape from reality for a while. The story centers on Gabriella, a sophisticated hotel owner, who finds herself unexpectedly falling for Elia, a young and mysterious stranger. The age difference added a layer of complexity and tension to their romance, which I found fun to watch.

Giacomo Gianniotti, who plays Elia, absolutely captivated me. He is not just beautiful, but has this magnetic presence that pulls you into every scene. His chemistry with Monica Guerritore (Gabriella) was electric, and their love story, with all its ups and downs, felt intense, passionate, and sometimes a little dangerous.

Sure, some parts of the show felt over-the-top, but that's what made it such a fun ride. "Deceitful Love" doesn't aim to be perfect-it's here to entertain, and it does so in spades. The beautiful Amalfi Coast setting, the tangled relationships, and the unpredictable twists kept me hooked from start to finish.

If you're looking for a dramatic, sexy escape that doesn't take itself too seriously, "Deceitful Love" is definitely worth a watch.

A good love story. Attractive characters, A beautiful setting. And it's A film that gives tribute to older women. It shows that older women can be beautiful, loved, sexy and powerful. Of all the beautiful Italian women in this film, Gabriella (Monica Guerritore) was the most attractive. Her lover, Elia, (Giacomo Gianniotti) was the extremely imperfect hero, who was challenged with too many contrived complex conflicts forcing Gabriella into too many forgivings. But with patience, one managed to enjoy a truly good film.

And maybe it is my American nature, but I waiting for someone to get shot. Maybe by the loan sharks, a stalker, a resentful lover, a gay lover. But thankfully this film did not need a shoot em up to be entertaining, just some good, soft sex scenes. Thank you Italy.

The locations of the series are magnificent and that alone is a pleasure. Then, there is a superposition of trajectories and human transformations that is really interesting. There are weaknesses in the script at times, some tempo flaws but overall I let myself be carried away. First she, Gabriella, who built herself as best she could around a very strong trauma that is slowly revealed, through this love story. We see her evolve, between panic and confidence, and the actress makes it very well. Then there is of course the fact of seeing a woman's body of her age, their passion, it's rare and it's really well filmed, we just feel happy for them. Elia is magnetic, his transformation is also interesting. Then the children, all the ways in which this improbable love story impacts them, it's interesting and well rendered overall. It's refreshing that there are no murders, no creepy stuff, just people who are very afraid and who manage to find a balance, a form of reconciliation. After all, that's what living together is all about, right?

This is a soap, and not a good one. The plot is thin, there are no likable characters, and the romance is flat.

First off, the writers attempt to be clever by drumming up questionable scenarios/actions to cast doubt on the hero. All it did was make him look suspect and not worthy of the heroine. And made the heroine look stupid and thirsty.

Second, there are no likable characters, well maybe the hero, who is undoubtedly shady but falls for his mark. The heroine is so up and down there is no way in real life a man in his right mind would put up with her violent outbursts, fueled by low self esteem, then crawling back for forgiveness.

Why did they fall in love again?

Third, there isn't any romance. There's tons of steam but we really don't get to see why they fell in love. It's just an annoying loop of them in bed, her kicking him out, followed by her groveling for him to come back.

Does he like youthfulness? Does he admire her for her business acumen?

Does he like it when she cooks for him? Does she like his ability to live in the moment? Does she love the fact he wants to spend time with her?

We don't know because we don't see any of that.

If you can look past the rather unrealistic premise that a 60-yo successful and intelligent woman would fall, within hardly a day, for a totally unknown thirty-something stud, then you'll sure to have a very good time with this romantic and (soft-) erotic thriller. It's an involving story with some nice twists and turns, and dark secrets that gradually get revealed.

The setting at the beautiful Amalfi coast of Italy is breathtaking, and the atmosphere is sensuous, thanks to the bright light of summer, the song-like flow of the Italian language, and some very titillating love-scenes. Giacomo Gianniotti (Dr. DeLuca in Grey's Anatomy!) is spot-on as the wildly attractive, mysterious and seductive Elia; and Monica Guerritore convincingly plays elderly, lovestruck Gabriella, while all the time maintaining her authoritative dignity. She by the way deserves high praise for her courage to play this sensuous role without any prudish restraint.

For some reasons the writers threw in several side-storylines, that each initially seemed to be important, but ultimately didn't add anything to the main story. Like the gay affair of the oldest son, that simply dead-ended in the last episode; or the vague personal problems of the daughter, that never got any explanation. Even Gabriella's own hidden past seemed, when at last revealed, hardly relevant for the course of the main story. And I also had some trouble with accepting the end, where deceitful, even criminal behavior seemed to be swept under the rug of love.

But for the rest: an involving and very entertaining mini series.