I Love N.Y.

Apparently sitting on the shelf for some time, this so-so romantic rich girl/poor boy fable is being trotted out to capitalize on star Scott Baio's current television hit Charles in Charge. As Mario Cotone, an up and coming photographer from New York's little Italy, Baio is actually the worst thing about the film. His wooden acting and over-pronounced Italian accent consistently drown out the fine efforts of his co-star Kelley Van der Velden. As Nicole Yeats (the N.Y. of the title), daughter of international stage star John Robertson Yeats (Christopher Plummer), Ms. Van der Velden somehow manages to rise above the treadworn story to shine as the innocent ingénue who, despite her concerned father's attempts to stop her, falls in love with the chauvinist, all-female conquering Mario. But even without the saving grace of the female lead, the sappy story winds down to such a weak resolution, that the audience is left wondering what, if anything, has happened. Not recommended. (R. Pitman)