Four to Dinner, an Italian Netflix romantic film is now streaming. Also known as 4 metà, it is directed by Alessio Maria Federici and written by Martino Coli. The film stars Ilenia Pastorelli, Matilde Gioli, Giuseppe Maggio, Matteo Martari and several others. The film is 90 minutes long and has English subtitles.
The synopsis reads, “In this rom-com challenging the concept of soulmates, parallel storylines portray four single friends as they pair up in different couple combinations.”
Netflix’s 4 metà aka Four to Dinner Review Contains No Spoilers
Luca and Sara invite two friends for dinner. They start talking about soulmates. Luca believes that there isn’t just one soulmate for one person. To explain the story better, he takes us back to 2 years ago. When Luca and Sara got married 2 years ago, they invited their 4 single friends for dinner – Giulia, Dario, Matteo and Chiara (played by Matilde Gioli, Giuseppe Maggio, Matteo Martari and Ilenia Pastorelli). He narrates how the four of them instantly clicked and started dating.
But here’s the twist in Netflix Italian film Four to Dinner, aka 4 metà. Luca narrates the story from 2 different angles. In one story, Giulia-Dario and Matteo-Chiara date each other. The second story features Dario-Chiara and Matteo-Giulia dating each other. In those 90 minutes, writer Martino Coli and director Alessio Maria Federici show us how anyone can be a soulmate. It depends on their phase of life and who they are with.
So who does Dario, Chiara, Giulia and Matteo end up with? Who is the soulmate of the other person? You will have to wait till the end and hope you get the answers.
The concept of finding one’s soulmate is explored in innumerable movies and TV shows. Some movies show your lover is your soulmate; sometimes, your friend or a family member. Sometimes, one has no soulmate at all. My favourite movie which tackles this subject well is Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt’s Dear Zindagi. In the film, SRK tells Alia’s character why one needs to have just one soulmate. Why can’t different people share similar interests like us? These people can be your sibling, friend, lover, partner or family member.
In the Four to Dinner Netflix film, the director and writer show something similar. A soulmate cannot be absolute. It depends on what stage of life you are in. I think it’s a complex concept, and I prefer to avoid such conversations. Director Alessio has beautifully painted Martino’s definition by telling the stories of these 4 individuals. Every couple is perfect for each other, and you can’t choose who should end up with whom.
A film with two simultaneous plots on 4 different people can lead to a cluttered narrative. Thankfully, Alessio didn’t complicate the story of the intricate subject of love. So it’s easy to understand what’s happening. I appreciate how he would swap a particular couple in the same place with the other. Everything blends so well that you forget you are watching 4 different people on screen at one point.
The charming romantic story is made appealing with beautiful locations. The story shifts from Italy to Lisbon to London. But doesn’t hamper the storytelling. It is being cited as a romantic comedy. While the romance is there, the humour is not in the picture.
Actors Matilde Gioli, Giuseppe Maggio, Matteo Martari, Ilenia Pastorelli give a wonderful performance. They have incredible chemistry, which makes us interested in a film that could’ve gone messy.
Four to Dinner Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, Four to Dinner is an apt watch to those who seek and believe in the concept of soulmate. It’s quite a unique approach that we may not see in Bollywood or Hollywood movies. It’s a one time watch for those who are just looking for some easy-breezy modern romantic drama.
The film is now streaming on Netflix.
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