written by: Kevin James, Patrick Kinnane, and John Kinnane
produced by: Mark Fasano and Jeffrey Greenstein
directed by: Chuck Kinnane and Dan Kinnane
rated: PG (for some suggestive material, brief language, violence, and smoking)
runtime: 96 min.
U.S. release date: February 6, 2026

The Kinnane Brothers are described as an “American filmmaking collective” on Wikipedia. They consist of six Kinnane brothers and one brother-in-law, Jeffrey Azize, and indeed, all of them have worked together on directing, writing, producing, and editing films and documentaries. For their latest family endeavor, they’ve partnered with Angel Studios for “Solo Mio”, a romcom starring Kevin James. A look at the credits shows Kinnane all over the place: Charles and Daniel Kinnane handle directing duties, John and Patrick Kinnane write the script (with James), Pete Kinnane edits the picture, and Brendan, Jeffrey, and William serve as executive producers. Knowing this makes me more interesting an documentary on the Kinnane family. How do they not get sick of each other?

Also, how did they team up with James? Their first collaboration with the actor was in 2020 for a series of online shorts, and then the family got to work on the “Home Team”, the 2022 Netflix underdog sports comedy with James in the “based on a true story” lead role. Although the actor has varied it up in recent years, James saw two of his action comedies flop last year, “Guns Up” and “Playdate”. While headlining a rom-com would seem to set up James for his usual comedy schtick, “Solo Mio” aims for something sweet and sensitive, making a move to show his softer side.

The movie opens with a montage over the opening credits, introducing viewers to Matt Taylor (James), a fourth-grade art teacher, who becomes desperately in love with Heather (Julie Ann Emery), a teacher’s assistant at his school. In no time, Matt is engaged, with a destination wedding planned for Rome. Cut to the lavish wedding, with minutes before the bride is to walk down the aisle, and Matt finds himself waiting and waiting and waiting at the altar.

All of this occurs before the title appears, which is odd since “Solo Mio” means “mine alone” or “only mine” in Italian, a point a character later mentions.

Confused and depressed, Matt finds an “It’s not you/It’s me” note and soon finds himself aboard a plane back to America. That’s when he receives a text from Heather… she’s still in Italy. Wait, what? Of course, he makes a scene as the plane is about to take off, and the next thing he knows, he’s in the airport slammer. I guess we’re supposed to laugh at this, but it just raises a host of questions.

Questions such as: How long were they engaged? Unknown. Did they truly know each other? I suppose not. Let’s be real, these two are not young lovers. They’re fortysomething adults who should be able to express their feelings and be upfront about any doubts. How much of a Hallmark cliche is it for someone to stand their fiancé up minutes before “I do”? Well, it’s kind of the epitome of a Hallmark cliche. What about all the supposed friends and family who presumably spent their money on a flight to Rome, as well as lodging, etc? No clue. Do we continue with the wedding reception as planned? Why yes, we actually do. How awkward.

Now that Matt finds himself solo, his confusion and depression increase, making his sad sackness visually obvious.  The hotel concierge notices his disposition and ensures he enjoys the honeymoon he paid for. He might as well try that. However, he finds himself in another awkward situation, because the honeymoon package he paid for was for couples. So, in every activity he participates in and in every location they travel to, Matt finds himself surrounded by other couples – some married, some not, all of them eccentric – at various stages of their relationships. Couldn’t he trade his package deal in for a solo adventure, even a guided one for singles? So many questions.

It’s on this honeymoon package adventure tour that Matt finds others to interact with, and “Solo Mio” finds its supporting cast. The two couples who befriended Matt and paid for the same tour are at different stages of their relationships; neither is a model of marital bliss. They offer unsolicited advice to Matt out of left field, which is a bit smothering for the dejected groom. Julian (Kim Coates) is married to Meghan (Alyson Hannigan) for the third time, and he suggests Matt get out there for a rebound fling. Neil (Jonathan Roumie, best known for playing Jesus Christ in “The Chosen” series) has recently married his therapist, Donna (Julee Cerda) – yes, that’s troubling – and reassures Matt that he’ll find love again. These guys may be well-intentioned, but they’re clueless and clearly struggle to read a room.

The bizarre thing that no one is addressing is that Heather is still in Italy. No one knows what she’s doing, but that’s the last Matt has heard from her. By all accounts, she doesn’t plan to reconnect or reunite with Matt. Since this is Matt’s story, it won’t follow Heather, and no one thinks she’s coming back. Essentially, Heather represents the life Matt thought he would have.

This story decision leaves wide-open room for awkward solo moments for Matt that would normally require or be ideal for a twosome. Enter local café owner Gia (Nicole Grimaudo), who offers heart and humor to the American, and the pair inevitably connect despite their personal problems. Matt finds their interaction a refreshing distraction from his woes, giving him a chance to breathe and take in the local culture.

Keeping his situation private, Matt finds Gia’s company refreshing and attempts to stay in her orbit as the trip unfolds, leading him into a new adventure in love. Thankfully, the Kinnanes aren’t aiming for the typical James-style slapstick, which would pose dramatic challenges that may not suit his strengths. The character of Gia emerges as a bright spirit for Matt, but there’s a problem: Grimaudo and James lack chemistry. Grimaudo is effortlessly (and perhaps unintentionally) acting circles around everyone around her, making it clear she deserves better material than this. She’s believable as a kind soul with her own past relationship woes, and she plays a character who’s genuinely kind enough to want to help hangdog Matt, but any romance between the two feels forced. 

What also feels forced is the screenplay’s proclivity for sitcom moments, which make the movie feel fake, unbelievable, and entirely too coincidental. There’s a bizarre scene involving a drunk woman who consistently hits on Matt that’s just flat-out distracting. How is this guy some kind of chick magnet? Gia also has her own trouble with ex-boyfriend, Vincenzo (Giancarlo Bartolomei), who feels like a tacked-on, inconsequential character who also owns her cafe. We really get into coincidental territory when Gia invites Matt and his two married couple pals to a weekend getaway at her uncle’s Tuscany estate. Who’s her uncle? Andrea Bocelli. That’s right, Andrea Bocelli plays himself. It’s a small Italian world after all. If you had a scene with Bocelli and James riding horses together on your Bingo card in 2026, go ahead and check that off. On that note, there’s also a shoehorned side plot involving a horse race. There’s way too much thrown in here to keep track of or to care about, and there’s a late development reveal in the final moments of the third act that adds on to the many plot coincidences.

The big problem “Solo Mio” has, though, is that it doesn’t invest viewers in Matt and Heather’s engagement or pending nuptials, so it’s hard to feel for the jilted groom because we never spent time with them as a couple. Klan Kinnane is so eager to get James to Rome that they forget to give us something that’ll make us care. As mentioned, too many questions pop up in “Solo Mio”, preventing the audience from fully buying in. Oh, did I mention that Ed Sheeran also plays himself as well? Probably because it’s really not worth mentioning.

RATING: **