“Love in the Villa” is about Julia’s solo trip to Verona, and the love she finds in the process. As Julie plans her trip to Verona with her boyfriend, Brandon, he decides to break up with her. The film uses the typical rom-com formula of strangers turned into enemies turned into lovers. From the get-go, you know what will happen in the end, and what lies in between is not remarkable enough to remember.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Love In The Villa’ Plot Summary: What Is The Film About?
Julie loves to have her life planned, especially her dream trip to Verona. She made fourteen reservations and even formulated a pie chart to indicate her plans for the vacation. Brandon was overwhelmed by Julie and decided to end their relationship. This was not how Julie planned her vacation to start. She was swayed by the story of Romeo and Juliet and wanted to visit the city of love with her lover, but alas, she was destined to travel alone. From a turbulent flight to delayed luggage, Julie was living her worst nightmare. She left the airport wearing the clothes she bought from a gift shop and stepped into a car that did not follow any traffic rules. She held on to her life as the car sped away and they finally reached “Villa Romantica.” It was right next to Juliet’s balcony and was the perfect spot for Julie to soak in the romantic atmosphere.
But as she entered the villa, she stumbled upon a man who claimed to have booked the villa on the same days that she did. This was far from the vacation of her dreams. She complained to the owner, Silvio, over the phone, though Charlie thought it was of no use. Since he had arrived first, he had claimed the bed, and Julie was offered a sofa to rest on until the owner solved the issue. As it turned out, it was the owner’s girlfriend who got the booking messed up, and the only solution was for the two to share the villa. Charlie initially refused to share, but after seeing Julie cry over it, he had a change of heart and agreed to share the stay.
While Julie was settling down, her friend and the principal of the school where she worked advised her to get back at him. He instigated Julie to fight for her rights since the men in her life always broke her heart. She ultimately decided to give Charlie a reason to hate her. This was her way of trying to get what she rightfully deserved. The war between Charlie and Julie got ugly over time, and in the last few days, they decided to stop and enjoy the city. Even though Julie’s trip to Verona was not what she had hoped for, it turned out to be much more than that.
Who Was Charlie? What Changed His Relationship With Julie?
Charlie was a professional wine taster; he was visiting Verona for the sixth time. He always portrayed himself as a practical man who did not care for the romantic cliché, but the fact that he always stayed at the “Villa Romantica” told a different story. While Julie was a hopeless romantic, Charlie always analyzed every situation and had his emotions under control. He blamed it on the fact that he was British and naturally repulsed by any display of affection. He agreed to share the villa with Julie, though he regretted his decision the very next day.
Julie was still recovering from a terrible breakup, and pushing Charlie out of the villa seemed like her only way to seek justice from all the men who had treated her miserably. Even though she was hesitant at first, she ultimately gave in to the idea of placing olives all around Charlie’s bed to attract cats. She knew that Charlie was allergic to cats, a perfect reason for him to leave the place. But Charlie would not accept defeat easily. He declared war and asked her to wait for his revenge. When a courier service was returning Julie’s luggage from the airport, he stopped the man and informed him that Julie no longer lived at the villa and was sent to a mental institute for recovery. She wanted her clothes to be distributed amongst orphans. Julie was enraged by it and planned another way to get back at Charlie. She jammed the lock on the door, and Silvio had to change the locks; Charlie did not have the keys to the lock. He tried to enter the apartment from the verandah, but his hands slipped, and he was left hanging for his dear life. Julie informed the police that a man had tried to break into her apartment, and Charlie was taken into custody for the night. After returning, Charlie ripped pages from Julie’s diary (where she poured her heart out about her breakup with Brandon) and stuck them on Juliet’s wall. Strangers read about Julie’s love life, and she was left stunned by the event.
Charlie finally agreed to come to a truce since the war was affecting his professional life. His company was informed about his stay at the local jail, and his clients were hesitant about dealing with a criminal. To celebrate the end of the war, Charlie cooked dinner for Julie. Even though Julie doubted his intent at first, she fell in love with the Pastissada de caval that Charlie cooked. Since Julie was not affluent in the Italian language, Charlie explained that he used horse meat to make the dish. Julie was disgusted by the revelation, and they started throwing food at one another. The loud argument led to police intervention, and they were warned to behave better. Later, Charlie explained that the dish had mushrooms in it and not horse meat. They laughed about it and spent the night drinking wine and discussing their lives.
They walked through the streets of Verona, and Charlie expressed how he had always wanted to own a small vineyard in Tuscany, but he knew that would be a bad investment. Julie advised Charlie to follow his heart’s desire instead of overthinking it. She was an elementary school teacher, and she loved her job, something that amused Charlie. Even though they were different, there was a connection that they could sense. Julie taught Charlie to not suppress his emotional side. She knew he was a romantic, and that was what brought him to the villa. And it was because of Charlie that she had to get rid of all her plans and spend her stay in Verona in an unusual yet fun way. Charlie was informed by a colleague that a room in a hotel was now empty, and he could shift there, but he decided to stay the night at the villa.
‘Love In The Villa’ Ending Explained: Did Julie Accept Charlie’s Proposal?
Julie had planned to take Charlie along to explore Verona. They went around the city of love together, participating in activities that Charlie once cringed at. He started to see the city through Julie’s eyes, and everything seemed a lot more romantic than it did before. Julie was a romantic since she had always seen her parents share a passionate relationship, whereas Charlie remembered his parents hating one another. It was after witnessing their crumbling relationship that Charlie decided to care less, since it seemed to him that the one who cared less had all the power in a relationship. Julie believed in the power of destiny, whereas Charlie preferred choosing his partner.
The two attended Vinitaly, an event Charlie was invited to. The owner of the vineyard, Ragazzi, was a brilliant winemaker but a terrible businessman, and Charlie’s company wanted to take advantage of it. They wanted to make a deal with the man, though they were paying far less for the quality of the product they were to receive. Ragazzi gave Julie a tour around the vineyard and expressed his passion for the trade that was passed down from one generation to another. Julie advised him to follow his heart and risk it all to save his legacy. Even though her advice did ruin Charlie’s business, she believed it was the right thing to do. Charlie agreed with her, and the two shared a dance. As they were about to kiss, Charlie stopped, stating that he could not proceed. He tried to explain himself, but Julie refused to know. Later, when they reached the villa, they were greeted by Charlie’s fiancé, Cassie, who had decided to pay a surprise visit. They were on a break, but Cassie thought it was a casual one. Julie left the villa, and Charlie followed her, but she refused to listen to his explanation. She asked him to never contact her and left.
Charlie and Cassie shifted to the hotel. The next morning, Julie was greeted by Brandon, who flew to Verona to get her back. He missed having her in his life, or rather the people around him missed Julie. That evening, when Brandon and Julie went to a restaurant, Cassie recognized Julie and invited them to join them for dinner. Charlie was surprised to learn that Julie was back with her ex-lover. He bragged about his fiancé, and to get back at him, Julie did the same. Cassie and Brandon were left in an awkward position. Julie intentionally drank the wine the way Charlie disapproved of, and ended up drunk. That night, when Julie and Brandon returned to the villa, he proposed to her with a ring. Meanwhile, Charlie broke off his engagement with Cassie and rushed to get back with Julie. Upon returning, he witnessed Brandon’s proposal and left. Julie did not accept Brandon’s proposal; they did not have a connection, and Julie believed that her “weirdness” did not match his.
It was time for both Julie and Charlie to leave Verona, but before leaving, he decided to make a wish at the wish-making fountain. He met Silvio there. He explained to him what had happened, and Silvio reminded him that love finds a way. Charlie rushed to the villa and quoted Romeo as Julie stood on the balcony. He explained that he had broken up with Cassie because he was in love with her. He agreed with Julie’s belief in destiny, but he added that he also believed that one had to choose to accept their destiny. He chose Julie even though he thought he was too late now that she was engaged. But Julie informed him that she did not accept Brandon’s proposal. They were overjoyed that even after all the misunderstandings and complications, love had found a way. “Love in the Villa” ends on a happy note with the union of the lovers. Even though Julie and Charlie were different, their weirdness matched. “Love in the Villa” is just another impractical feel-good rom-com.
“Love in the Villa” is a 2022 Romance Drama film directed by Mark Steven Johnson.
