Solo Mio
Rating: 3/5
It would be fun to separate art from the artist. An ideal world where all can come together and sing R Kelly’s I Believe I Can Fly without the bitter aftertaste of knowing this was his signature approach at sanitising his image whenever a rape allegation followed him. Or keep up with the latest on Hogwarts without worrying that you are funding JK Rowling and her never-ending need to delegitimise the experiences of transgender women.
Kevin James falls into the same rut after his controversial Kevin Can Wait show, which follows the typical sitcom tropes of an oddball, lazy husband and a conventionally attractive nagging wife. The only problem is, the controversial sacking of his co-star led to the critical series Kevin Can Go F**k Himself, which tackled the genre’s many issues and James’ ego.
It’s no wonder he took to TikTok to create an alternate persona, Matt Taylor. The TikTok page caught the attention of many of his fans late last year when he posed as an art teacher who drew pretty kitsch art and had a lot to say about a mystery lady he wanted to marry. Eventually, we would all tune in to see him propose to her, with the viral moment raising more eyebrows. Was James rebranding under a new moniker, or was this a lookalike who would never confront the similarities between him and the King of Queens star?
It was only months later that we would get answers that this was a smart play from James’ part as Taylor was a new character for his upcoming movie, Solo Mio.
Taylor is a bumbling art teacher who loves to learn Italian in a mission to impress the woman of his dreams, Heather. When the two are engaged to be wed, things go south at a lavish wedding in Italy as the runaway bride disappears, leaving a note that she needs space.
What follows are Taylor’s misadventures in Italy while navigating heartbreak. Not as a douche looking for a American Pie-style crash out but an exploration of heartbreak for people of a certain age.
It’s this same matured feel we get from his eventual love interest Gia. She owns a cafe which Taylor and some of the friends he makes frequent and become privy to her tense relationship with a difficult ex-husband.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a romcom with the comfortable predictability that comes with the genre, but it’s the charming maturity with which they try to handle some of the classic tropes and fresh story beats that make it relatable.
If you watch the movie without context, you might find Taylor’s composure a bit odd, especially his need to please others at just about every turn. However, through the social media posts, we get a fuller picture of what it means to be a niche viral sensation who is feeling the weight of the world’s eyes watching his life fall apart.
The friends he makes along the way are not young couples who have it all figured out. Their relationships are messy and complicated, which propels the growing love triangle between Taylor and his suitors. Rather than build up to a choice he needs to make, we see Solo Mio double down on the importance of taking stock of how you feel, particularly for men who have normalised being stoic and impassive.
It’s no masterpiece, but Solo Mio brings the feel-good charm James was once known for and a fun exploration of what it means for men and women of a certain age to pick up the pieces after trying to believe in love again. It’s a great watch for young and old if you can stomach its dedication to cheesy and corny jokes.
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