The Bashful Casanova is charming, if a bit slow

Is it worth the watch?

If you like old-school European rom-coms that move at a leisurely, polite pace, you will probably find The Bashful Casanova pretty sweet. If you need snappy editing or jokes that land every five seconds, skip it. You will be bored out of your mind within ten minutes.

It’s a simple story. Innocenz is just too nice for his own good. Watching him get taken for a ride by these women is honestly kind of painful, but in a funny way. It reminded me a bit of the awkward dynamic you see in The Match-Breaker, where the protagonist is just completely oblivious to the person standing right in front of them.

The vibe

The whole thing feels like a stage play that someone decided to film on a Tuesday afternoon. There is this one scene in the shop where the background extras look like they forgot they were being recorded—one guy just stares at a hat for a solid minute. It’s weirdly hypnotic.

Paul Kemp plays Innocenz with this frantic, wide-eyed energy. He looks like he’s constantly worried he’s about to be fired or asked to pay for a very expensive lunch. It works, though. You kind of want to shake him, but you also want him to finally get it right.

Small observations

• The lighting in the cafe scenes is surprisingly harsh. It makes everyone look a little like a ghost.
• I’m still not sure if the mustache on that one suitor was real or just drawn on with a very thick marker.
• The way Dody watches him from across the counter? Honestly, the best acting in the whole movie happens in those quiet, annoyed glances.

It’s not as sharp or punchy as something like In the Dough. It lacks that specific kind of frantic energy. But there’s a warmth here that’s hard to dislike. It isn't trying to change the world. It’s just trying to make you chuckle at a guy who is bad at dating. Mission accomplished, I guess? 🤷‍♂️

The pacing definitely drags toward the end. You can feel the movie trying to find a graceful way to wrap everything up, but it takes about three wrong turns before it finally lands the ending. Sometimes, you just have to enjoy the mess.