Dean Martin first sang his much-loved “That's Amore” as a duet with Jerry Lewis in the 1953 Martin & Lewis picture The Caddy. Unfortunately, the countless movies and television shows that have used the song since then have opted for Dean's inferior solo version, and it plays over the opening titles of Susane Bier's Love Is All You Need, thus pairing an overly familiar song with a stunningly generic title. So many missed opportunities! The original Danish title Den Skaldede Frisør translates as The Bald Hairdresser, which would have been a far more entertaining and accurate title, as protagonist Ida (Trine Dyrholm) is indeed a hairdresser who has lost her hair to chemotheraphy. She has a Meet Cute with bitter widower Philip (Pierce Brosnan) as they make their way to the scenic Italian island where Ida's daughter and Philip's son are getting married, and multilingual rom-com complications ensue. Dryholm and Brosnan never click, but Love Is All You Need does have some interesting visual details, such as the use of solid colors in wardrobes and locations — a bright green wall in Ida's doctor's office looks like an unfinished special effect — and a level of physical affection between Ida and her adult children which feels almost inappropriate to American sensibilities. But that's amore for ya.
“Love Is All You Need”: Bitter Widower Romance
