The romantic comedy has become one of those genres damaged by its own success. There are simply so many films out there now, all adhering to basically the same formula, that filmmakers wishing to succeed within it face a difficult balancing act. They need to appeal to an established market which loves that formula, yet make films distinctive enough to stand out. They need to create something attuned to an artificial standard yet somehow make it feel real.
The latest feature from The Italians director Michelle Danner, working from a script by Victoria Vinuesa, Under The Stars is acutely conscious of this difficulty, embedding wildly unrealistic elements in a modest scenario with a smoothness that will allow some viewers to buy into the illusion completely, whilst for others this strange hybridity becomes part of its charms. Most importantly, it’s confidently told, rolling along at a steady pace as if completely unaware of its own silliness. Danner beguiles viewers with lush Apulian landscapes and big starry skies, inviting them to forget everything else.
Alex Pettyfer plays Ian, a romantic hero of the slightly clueless, sweet but clumsy type – supposedly a brilliant writer himself, but markedly less assured in other aspects of life. When we meet him he’s struggling with that difficult second novel, going too slowly to keep his publisher happy, whilst screwing up in his day job as a travel writer by waxing too poetic instead of giving readers the information they need. He lives in an astonishingly large flat in an unnaturally clean part of London. One can only imagine that it’s paid for by his girlfriend, as barely a handful of writers make that kind of money, but the relationship is not going well – at least not from his perspective – and before long he swans off to Italy without her. There he plans to stay in a rental cottage out in the countryside and work on the book.
Danner wastes no time in introducing her other romantic player, the casually glamorous, sharp-witted Arianna (Eva De Dominici); they meet almost as soon as he arrives and she immediately cuts him down to size. De Dominici plays this like a 1950s-style adventure romance in which we know the pair who loathe each other will fall in love before the end, but Ian doesn’t try to match Arianna at her game; rather, he seems slightly bewildered, and the two are brought together by circumstances rather than any conscious pursuit on his part, as she’s the daughter of his host. Ian is still not really sure whether or not he’s going to go back to his old life; if not, he’s smart enough to know that he will need space on his own to clear his head. Arianna, meanwhile, is attached to the younger and better-looking Enzo (Elia Tedesco), who seems like a better choice for so much of the film that one wonders if the interest she develops in Ian is just a way of testing herself before making a firmer commitment, but a well-placed streak of obnoxiousness close to the end resolves that difficulty.
Nevertheless, this story doesn’t quite go by the book. Even as he warms to this spiky woman, Ian is uncertain if he’s looking for a lover of a temporary muse. Arianna doesn’t seem sure which one she want to be. De Dominici gets most of the best lines. Pettyfer lets his linger. He may be the one on vacation, but she’s the one gradually learning to slow down. What he might usefully gain from her is confidence. But what about the woman back home? Matters are also complicated by a visit from his aunt (Toni Collette, magnificent as always), who takes a liking to the aforementioned host. A fussy soundtrack doesn’t leave much room for scenes to breathe, but she needs little time to steal them.
Despite its little twist towards the end, the film never breaks free of formula, simply choosing one of the less common endings. There a still a great many more where this came from. It will appeal to genre fans who happen to be attracted to the region or the leads, and to Collette completists. It goes down easily, like a house red. You won’t be amazed, but you can be certain of familiar comfort.
Reviewed on: 26 Jan 2026
