In SPIN ME ROUND, several managers (a half dozen women and two men) of "Tuscan Grove" restaurants win a trip to Italy to the headquarters of their chain. (If "Tuscan Grove" reminds you of "Olive Garden", it is no coincidence.) Somehow it seems too good to be true. (NO SPOILER: And it is. An early example is when they are driven past the villa where they had been told they would be staying, to a motel only slightly above a Motel 6 level.) The managers start getting on each other's nerves, and the assistants of the chain's owner are equally annoying. This has all the elements of a romantic comedy: a visit to a market, a yacht trip, a fancy party, ... But SPIN ME ROUND put these elements together in an offbeat--and sinister--way. The managers are forbidden to leave the grounds, the totally banal cooking lessons end and the training sessions consist of watching movies such as LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, and women keep disappearing.

SPIN ME ROUND would go well visually with Stanley Tucci's "Italy" series, especially the episode in Liguria, but there is really very little about authentic Italian food. Hey, it's about Olive Garden, right?

Released theatrically and on various streaming services 19 August 2022. Rating: +1 (-4 to +4) or 6/10

Film Credits: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14596320/reference

What others are saying: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spin_me_round

					Mark R. Leeper
					Copyright 2023 Mark R. Leeper