Netflix's Recent Rom-Com Had One Thing I Really Wish More Comedies Would Do, And I Want To Talk About It

So I didn’t have a Netflix rom-com becoming one of my favorite films of the year on my 2025 bingo card, but here we are.

The 2025 movie schedule has been filled to the brim with great releases – as has the 2025 Netflix schedule. While there are some movies that I would rather forget even existed – like The Electric State – there are others that I have really taken to and would recommend to anyone. One just so happens to be one of Netflix’s latest rom-coms – La Dolce Villa.

While it did come out in February, I finally had the chance to check it out, and it was something I really wasn’t expecting – and it did one thing that I really wish other rom-coms did nowadays. Let’s get into it.

I’m A Rom-Com Lover, So I’ve Seen A Good Amount

I mean, I wouldn’t be writing this article if I wasn’t a rom-com lover. It’s in my genes at this point.

If you know me, you’d know I’m a fan of all media—whether it's the best fantasy movies, the best A24 horror movies, or the best sci-fi movies—you name it, I’ve probably watched it and loved it. But for me, rom-coms are a delicate balance that I do love—if done right.

I will say that most rom-coms that I have watched tend to lean a little more towards the cliche side—and that’s okay. Not every new rom-com can end up becoming a huge game-changer within the genre. But I’m the kind of person who just loves the best rom-coms out there—the ones that really sit with you, that create tropes and moments that really stand out amongst the rest.

Such examples could be When Harry Met Sally, 13 Going On 30, or even Crazy Rich Asians. These are the rom-coms that define the genre for generations because they always do something fun or new or stand out amongst so many other tropes.

And now, I really think La Dolce Villa did something that most other rom-coms haven’t done – and it deserves its flowers.

I Really Love How La Dolce Villa Focused More On The Relationship Between The Father And Daughter

While La Dolce Villa is catagorized as a rom-com, it doesn’t really focus heavily on the romantic aspect. Yes, it is a part of the story, and it is a well-told part. You have a villa in Italy; how can romance not play a part?

But La Dolce Villa is more about the father-daughter relationship between the main character, Eric, and his daughter, Olivia. She’s the person who really causes this whole story to happen – she buys a home in Tuscany -- a one-euro homes priced accordingly to encourage outsiders to move to the town. Because her father obviously worries about the decision she made at such a young age (since she’s only 24 and moving across the world), he comes to Italy to find her.

And instead of us focusing entirely on Eric finding love for the next hour and a half – or watching Olivia fall for some handsome Italian hunk – we see healing. A lot of it is between father and daughter.

Don’t get me wrong—again, romance is very much a part of this film. Both of them end up developing relationships with residents of the town that the villa resides in. However, at the core of this story is a father and daughter trying to reconnect after the passing of her mother.

That’s something we really don’t see in rom-coms, really, ever. It’s always focused on the romance aspect, which is okay, but sometimes, in a film like this, it’s nice to have a storyline that isn’t so love-focused.

I Also Love How There Really Wasn’t That Much Animosity Between The Two

There’s also this pretty common trope that anytime kids are involved in any rom-com, they tend to be bratty or annoying or whatever the case. And truthfully, that’s not the situation here at all.

Sure, Olivia isn’t really a kid in this. She’s a young woman, twenty-four, who is capable of making her own decisions. I’m pretty sure if someone called me a kid at twenty-four, it would have annoyed me, too.

But if this is a story about a father and a daughter reconnecting, most would expect there to be a lot more animosity between these two. But there isn’t. Sure, there are some sarcastic quips and banter thrown back and forth between them, creating a pretty funny dynamic that you end up loving. But there’s never any pettiness or anger or displeasure with the others aside from a few bouts of classic miscommunication.

Instead, the only thing these two really experience is loneliness. They both lost someone very dear to them – Eric, his wife, and Olivia, her mother – and both are trying to find ways to connect after that heavy loss. Olivia bought the house in honor of her mother – and by doing so, it brought her father to her in more ways than one.

I’m glad that a rom-com was willing to dive a little deeper into that connection rather than just stick with the romance aspect.

The Ending Really Got Me Because It Was More About Them Coming Together As A Family

So the ending of La Dolce Villa is pretty much the typical ending you could expect, where everything works out and Eric is with someone now and so is Olivia – but it’s less about the couples and more about the family as a whole. And I love that.

We don’t get this final shot of the main couple in La Dolce Villa or one of Olivia finally kissing the guy she ends up with. Instead, we get a shot of Eric, Olivia, their love interests, and everyone else dancing outside at the villa in Tuscany as they just finished cooking, and the camera pans out.

I mean, come on. That’s just sweet and brought a smile to my face.

It’s rare for a rom-com to focus on the growth of a family and the connections that we make rather than just the romantic infatuations and love moments that we see throughout the films. And yet, this little Netflix movie does it so quickly. And I can’t help but love it.

There are so many great rom-coms out there – even some upcoming rom-coms to look forward to. But if you haven’t had the chance to check out La Dolce Villa, then be sure to head on over with a Netflix subscription.