The plot of It Started in Naples is so contrived. Clark Gable takes the time right before his wedding to hop on a plane to Italy to settle his dead brother's affairs. Why does he need to do this now? Why can't he wait a couple of months, or why didn't he go a few months beforehand? Because - he has to meet Sophia Loren (or as my grandpa always called her, Sophie Lauren) and debate whether or not to call off his wedding.
Sophie plays a cabaret singer, and pretty much any time she's on the screen it's a good time to get up and get some more popcorn. This is a very silly movie without any point but to show that Clark Gable got a free vacation to Naples. There are some courtroom scenes to inject drama into the situation, and Sophie is playing nursemaid to her and Clark's illegitimate nephew; but it all feels a little offensive. Italians have looser morals, so it's okay that his brother never married his Italian girlfriend? The only way to prove Sophie has a heart of gold is to show her taking care of a child that's not her own? If you liked Houseboat, you can rent this one, but it certainly seemed like Hollywood didn't know what to do with Sophia Loren before she got her Oscar.
Sophie plays a cabaret singer, and pretty much any time she's on the screen it's a good time to get up and get some more popcorn. This is a very silly movie without any point but to show that Clark Gable got a free vacation to Naples. There are some courtroom scenes to inject drama into the situation, and Sophie is playing nursemaid to her and Clark's illegitimate nephew; but it all feels a little offensive. Italians have looser morals, so it's okay that his brother never married his Italian girlfriend? The only way to prove Sophie has a heart of gold is to show her taking care of a child that's not her own? If you liked Houseboat, you can rent this one, but it certainly seemed like Hollywood didn't know what to do with Sophia Loren before she got her Oscar.