Netflix is speaking the language of love with its latest rom-com, La Dolce Villa, which released just ahead of Valentine's Day 2025 and rocketed right to the top of the streamer's chart. The movie is set in Italy and its cinematography has made me fall in love with the country from afar.
Interestingly, La Dolce Villa is directed by Mark Waters, whose famous Mean Girls first screened 21 years ago – yep, all the way back in 2004! – and was such a classic that it spawned a 2024 remake (but the less said about that version, the better). His latest work isn't connected in any way, though, as is clear from the trailer:
Today's landscape is a whole different one from 21 years ago, of course, and the way La Dolce Villa sets itself up avoids any of the clique or cattiness of Waters' generational. movie – it's actually a wholesome tale about Eric (Scott Foley), whose daughter, Olivia (Maia Reficco) goes to Italy to restore a falling-apart villa. Cue Eric falling for Francesca (Violante Placido).
For me, though, it's not even the rom-com enticement of La Dolce Villa that appeals the most – it's Italy. The various fly-over scenes, the head-scarfed Nonnas on the streets, the beautiful aged buildings. It's captured so beautifully and is the perfect backdrop to this movie.
While La Dolce Villa is so new that it's not yet scored a rating on Rotten Tomatoes, fans are really loving it. "A total charmer!" exclaims one. "So adorable and heartwarming," says another. "Completely adorable cast," sums up a third 5-star review. There are some negative reviews that'll likely see the score balance out somewhere in the middle, but that's fairly predictable with a movie of this type.
Don't expect anything that breaks boundaries, of course, but La Dolce Villa is a charming little movie, set away from the Hollywood glamour, that has a little bit of something for everyone. If you fancy getting loved-up this weekend – whatever age you are – then it's the perfect, easy-watching flick from Netflix and another reason why it might be considered your best streaming service of 2025...
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