Solo Mio

Solo Mio
Starring Kevin James, Nicole Grimaudo, Alyson Hannigan, Kim Coates
Directed by Chuck Kinnane & Dan Kinnane

Valentine's Day often has movies that are extremely mediocre but serves to scratch the itch of couples looking for something to see on the big screen. 2026's big movie is "Wuthering Heights," but there's a slew of lackluster romantic comedies that men will inevitably have to sit through because their girlfriends want to. "Solo Mio" is one such movie - a basic, vanilla, unmemorable, bland movie that's nowhere near to being good but also nowhere near to being terrible, resulting in something even worse: a forgettable movie that no one will remember.

Matt Taylor (Kevin James) is an art teacher who falls for fellow teacher Heather (Julie Ann Emery), and the two get engaged and go to Rome to get married. However, on their wedding day Heather gets cold feet and leaves Matt at the altar, leaving him to go solo on a duo honeymoon package, drawing attention from meddling couples Meghan and Julian (Alyson Hannigan and Kim Coates) and Neil and Donna (Jonathan Roumie and Julee Cerda). As they haphazardly try to help Matt, he meets lone coffee owner Gia (Nicole Grimaudo) and the two form a friendship that slowly grows romantic as they spend more time together, but Matt is still hung up on his ex and hasn't told Gia why he's in Rome, threatening a budding relationship before it can begin.

Kevin James is known for his everyman characters, and "Solo Mio" is no different, as he plays a mild mannered art school, teacher who is left at the altar and has to deal with the outcome, all the while being his traditional normal, charming self. You feel for the man because of what's happened, and you wish the best for him, and going into a movie like this you know what the final outcome will be. Usually this results in enjoying the ride to get there, but even the journey is dull, by-the-books and uninspired.

Sadly, this doesn't make it a bad movie. At least a bad movie is memorable, but "Solo Mio" is as flatline as a long dead corpse. While the scenery of Rome is a great backdrop, there's nothing in the forward that makes you want to appreciate it. The characters are ill-defined. The couples that try to help Matt are either being authentic in helping him, or see him as a project they can focus on to defer from their own romantic issues. Even Matt's love interest has her own side story involving her ex (who's also her coffee shop landlord) and a horse race. Then there's the inevitable break-up moment where all Matt's lies (well, not telling her why he was in Rome anyway) are exposed that threatens to end everything, only to come together again in one romantic moment. Again, predictable, dull, safe, and sanitized. 

The Score: C-