Starring Hunter King and Michele Rosiello
***SPOILER ALERT***
Danielle (King) is frustrated. She can’t find the mojo to create a new menu for her California restaurant, which she’s closed temporarily. And her investor, Owen (Davy Eduard King), plans to pull out if she doesn’t get her act together, but he’s giving her more time. She seeks culinary inspiration in Italy, where she soon meets Giancarlo (Michele Rosiello), who works in his family’s café and has a passion for gelato. He’s trying to introduce new flavors, which he tests out on a cute local kid, Nico (Lorenzo Padalino), and Danielle, but she’s not impressed. Danielle has a lengthy itinerary of places to visit and Giancarlo needs assistance developing gelato flavors, so they team up to help one another accomplish their goals. Naturally, romance blossoms between them. When Owen gives Danielle just two days to come up with a menu, she faces a dilemma: whether to remain in Italy or return home to save her restaurant.
PROS
It was unfortunate this was yet another food-related new Hallmark movie—we’ve had three consecutively—and I was hoping to see an original twist on the theme. And there was, slightly.
Michele Rosiello as Giancarlo. This actor had a gracious, gentlemanly air. Rosiello, who possessed a subtle charm, did his utmost to generate some sizzle with his co-star too. I hope we see more of him in Hallmark films. His character, Giancarlo, was sweet and attentive toward Danielle, escorting her to a castle, introducing her to the scents of various herbs, and taking her for an olive oil tasting. But Giancarlo also came across as a little morose, for a couple of reasons. He felt restricted by his father, Aldo (Simone Columbari), who was opposed to introducing new gelato flavors—he wanted to keep only his deceased wife’s flavors. Giancarlo was also disappointed with his life; he’d anticipated exploring the world beyond Rome but gave up on that when his mother got ill. Sadly, the closest he got to travelling was viewing slides of exotic places. I liked that this character ultimately came out of his shell.
Dream-like sequences. The owner of the house where Danielle stayed, Elida (Sara Mondello), lent her a book, The Steps of Ostia Antica. Elida likened it to Eat, Pray, Love. As Danielle read it, she visualized herself as the main character going on a voyage of self-discovery. The resulting vignettes were visually striking—hazy, light-filled, colorful, nostalgic, and romantic, with Danielle and Giancarlo appearing in 1950s-era clothing. I only wish Two Scoops of Italy had included more such brief scenes.
Elida and Bruno. A minor romantic subplot involved Elida and a handyman, Bruno (Michele Augusto Magni), who were obviously attracted to each other but only got together when Danielle served them lunch. The actors were adorable and generated considerable sparks—more than the leads did.
As for that original twist . . . Giancarlo decided to join Danielle in America. Typically, it’s the female lead who gives up her life back home for the male lead, so this was a refreshing change.
CONS
Hunter King as Danielle. Something critical was missing in this movie: chemistry between Danielle and Giancarlo. Rosiello’s leading lady left something to be desired; I just couldn’t feel Danielle’s interest in or attraction to Giancarlo, and because of that, they seemed poorly matched. When they said goodbye—she’d announced she would open a café back home—she ran after him and planted a big kiss on him, finally showing some passion. I also couldn’t work up much sympathy for Danielle in her plight. Her tears when Owen issued his tight deadline to produce a menu weren’t that moving. She’d known it was only a matter of time before Owen would withdraw his financial support, and she could have used Elida’s kitchen to experiment with creating a menu. Instead, she’d spent much of her time in Giancarlo’s kitchen helping him make gelato, which didn’t bring her closer to her goal. Ultimately, it didn’t matter, as her goal changed, but Danielle would have seemed more sympathetic if she’d at least tried.
Too much ice cream? Is that possible? I suppose I like gelato as much as anyone, but I wasn’t that keen on hearing the characters talk about it so much, or spend so much time in the kitchen experimenting with oddball flavor combinations (grapefruit and rosemary? dragonfruit and lemon?). The gelato-making scenes felt repetitive, and the only real excitement in them occurred when Danielle and Giancarlo finally came up with a winning flavor that even Nico, Giancarlo’s toughest critic, liked.
Substandard sound. Right before I watched this movie, I saw A Very Venice Romance (2023), in which the Italian actors’ dialogue was crystal clear. Not so in this latest Hallmark movie. The sound quality was poor overall, with the dialogue of many of the actors rendered murky. It wasn’t their fault.
My grade for Two Scoops of Italy: C-
Caroline Kaiser is a professional book editor who specializes in fiction and memoirs, and she’s been guiding writers toward publication since 2007. Caroline is also the author of two ghostly mystery novels, Virginia’s Ghost and The Spirits of South Drive. Before she embarked on an editing and writing career, she spent many years working in a Toronto auction house as an antiques appraiser. Apart from curling up on the couch and drinking tea as she watches Hallmark movies, Caroline enjoys baking and exploring London, Ontario, the picturesque city she now calls home. Her website is www.carolinekaisereditor.com.
