Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Under the Amalfi Sun’ on Netflix, a Featherweight Young-Love Dramedy That Just Feels Old

Under the Amalfi Sun is a sequel to 2020’s Italian light dramedy Under the Riccione Sun – both on Netflix – thus prompting the logical question: Is this the genesis of the UNDER THE SUNIVERSE? Considering the nontransparency of Netflix’s workings, we can only assume Riccione’s breezy microdramatic coming-of-ageisms stirred up enough views to justify a follow-up set in another postcard Italian seaside beach town, and considering how many such places surely line the peninsular boot, the opportunities for more sequels sure seem abundant. The first movie was featherweight stuff; if the sequel adds a dust speck off a hair off the back of a gnat’s ass, it would be considerably heavier.

UNDER THE AMALFI SUN: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: One year after Riccione, Vincenzo (Lorenzo Zurzolo) reconvenes with his Canadian sweetie Camilla (Ludovica Martino) for a vacation in Amalfi. They’ve been long-distancing their relationship, and now they finally get to physically mash face again. Each brings a single pal: Furio (Davide Calgaro), who you’ll remember from the first movie as the goofy fella forever unlucky in love. And Nathalie the New Character (Kyshan Wilson), whose primary character trait is that she’s a new character. They stay at Vincenzo’s dad’s place, which has a party patio with a million-dollar view of the sea. Actually, make that four or five million. Vincenzo’s dad is apparently pretty loaded.

Perhaps you’ll recall that Vincenzo’s mom, Irene (Isabella Ferrari), was super-overprotective because he’s blind; she also found love in Riccione, via Lucio (Luca Ward), and they’re still together. They’re supposed to vacay in Sicily, but she’s too worried about her son so they end up in Amalfi too. Vincenzo has an Amalfi buddy in Hans (Nicolas Maupas), who is apparently rich, because we eventually see his closet and it’s probably bigger than your kitchen. They go swimming and for walks along the edge of real-life postcards and eat fancy food and drink drinks. While Vincenzo and Camilla blandly couple about doing this and that, Nathalie shows interest in Hans and Furio eyeballs local hottie Rebecca (Elena Funari), an apparent influencer so far out of his league you’d need the Webb telescope to put them both in the same social frame.

I keep using the word “apparent” because there’s nothing specific about any of this, especially the conflicts that crop up, which are so thin and generic you could stack them all up and stick them inside a greeting card and not need an extra stamp to mail it: Vincenzo and Camilla worry about their future together as one person who lives in Italy and another person who lives in Canada. Furio tries to be someone he’s not in order to lure in Rebecca. Nathalie feels a romantic spark with Hans while she wrestles with her fragile self-esteem. Vincenzo’s dad (Andrea Occhipinti) shows up out of the blue, making things awkward between Irene and Lucio. And what happens is, everyone ends up navel-gazing when they should be scenery-gazing, which is surely the biggest tragedy here.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Funny how Amalfi is so generic, it feels like 300 other movies, yet you struggle to come up with a single title. This can only lead to one conclusion: Rewatch Under the Tuscan Sun again instead, and not because it’s particularly great – it’s fine, just fine – but because it’s so easy to remember how very good Diane Lane was in it.

Performance Worth Watching: Ferrari is the veteran actor true-pro-ing her way through this flimsy material.

Memorable Dialogue: Vincenzo coughs up the script’s version of a profound metaphor: “I’m used to bumping into things that hurt.”

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: I guess Under the Amalfi Sun can be categorized as a coming-of-age movie – I sure felt like I was aging while watching it. The film consists of attractive people playing phony characters working their way through watery contrivances. Most people go on vacation and enjoy themselves; these people have been arranged in a seaside paradise so they each can manage little tiny crises derived from artificial personal psychological insecurities and wrap them up tidily by the end. These people, I regret to inform them, are trapped in a movie script.

So it’s got a chiffon screenplay, so thinly gossamer as to be see-through, lighter than a hydrogen ion, tepid like yesterday’s soup. I think it’s sometimes trying to be a comedy, considering Furio’s mildly wacky qualities, but it inspires so few laughs, I can’t be sure. Its emotional beats inspire only drowsiness. I was convinced by none of it. But, you may say, look at the scenery! It’s lovely! I agree. Italy in the summertime sure is a thing to behold. It’s nicely photographed, like a travel brochure. Under the Riccione Sun had a lot of the same stuff. Pretty much exactly the same stuff – pretty people and pretty scenery and very little else.

Our Call: SKIP IT. Under the Amalfi Sun is pretty empty.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com.

Stream Under the Amalfi Sun on Netflix