Review of 'Walking on Sunshine'

On holiday in a beautiful coastal Italian village Taylor (Hannah Arterton) falls in love with local Raf (Giulio Berruti). Taylor turns away from the love of her life to return to university. Three years later she is back in the same village to visit her sister Maddie (Annabel Scholey) who surprises her by announcing that she is getting married. It soon becomes apparent that Maddie is going to marry Taylor's holiday romance Raf. Do Raf and Taylor still love each other? Will Maddie marry Raf? What about the ever more desperate advances by Maddie's former boyfriend Doug (Greg Wise)?

Well, this does not pretend to be anything but a light summer film as during the first 10 minutes as Taylor arrives back in Italy she breaks into song in the middle of the airport and is quickly joined in a song and dance number with the rest of the people there. Sometimes when they start singing throughout the film it seems a bit jarring and sometimes the music itself seems misplaced…though it does eventually start fitting (when Taylor starts singing “If I Could Turn Back Time” at the end is one such situation - odd at first but ends up being spot on with regards to lyrics, choreography and pacing). The choreography is often very over-the-top, inappropriate and clunky.

At times this seems like an advertisement for the Italian Tourist Bureau though, truth be told, the setting is absolutely beautiful. This is helped with the continued presence of smiling happy people all seeming to just want to have a good time.

The acting is passable and the story is enough to bring a bit of a tear in the eye of this reviewer towards the end (even some surprise and very truthful admissions by more than one of the main characters)…just persist with it!

Fun, light and a real emotional heart. Definitely not something to be taken seriously in any way.

Rating: “It is OK but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2014-06-20

Directed by: Max Giwa, Dania Pasquini

Studio: Vertigo Films

Year: 2014

Length: 97 minutes

Genre: Musical

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2107861/