Kevin James’ new movie has debuted on Rotten Tomatoes, and the score has set a new record for the actor.
James has starred in dozens of films over the course of his career, and is widely known for fun comedies, including Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009), Grown Ups (2010), and Pixels (2015). If there’s one common thread throughout James’ career, though, it’s that many of his movies haven’t fared well with critics. His latest project, Solo Mio, has broken this trend in a major way.
Following its release on February 6, Solo Mio has now debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with an 81% critics’ score, making it the highest-rated movie in James’ career. This score was generated from 31 reviews, meaning, though it may continue to fluctuate over the coming days, any changes likely won’t be drastic.
This 81% critics’ score accompanies a Popcornmeter of 95%. Clearly, then, this James film is one that critics and audiences are agreeing on.
Directed by Charles Kinnane and Daniel Kinnane, Solo Mio features James in romantic comedy territory, starring as a groom stranded in Rome who meets a local determined to help him turn things around. The film also stars Kim Coates, Alyson Hannigan, Jonathan Roumie, Julee Cerda, and Julie Ann Emery, among others.
Though most reviews are positive for James’ latest, they also aren’t glowing. Remember that a Rotten Tomatoes score essentially shows the percentage of critics’ reviews that are 6/10 or higher, and many are hovering around or just above this score.
Still, critics generally find Solo Mio to be far superior to James’ previous film, Playdate (2025). Praise is aimed at James’ leading man charisma and the film’s impressive use of Rome as a location. The Angel Studios movie, though not groundbreaking, has largely been celebrated as an easy and charming watch.
The response to James’ latest has been mostly positive, but ScreenRant’s own Gregory Nussen was less impressed. In their Solo Mio review, Nussen awards the film only three out of 10, taking issue with problems in the script, including a lack of depth for James’ lead character, Matt, and the contrived nature of the central love story. Nussen writes:
Having said that, Gia’s interest in Matt feels like a complete plot contrivance. She is a character who seems placed here merely to boost Matt’s spirits. Like Matt, we learn next to nothing of her character except that her café is likely to close. The two do bond over their shared heartache, but Matt is oddly cagey about being specific about his circumstances, and it does feel hard to root for a romance in which one person is mere hours separated from the love of his life walking away at the final hour.
As the film only just hit theaters, there are no confirmed opening weekend box office figures for Solo Mio just yet. With such a strong response from critics and audiences, though, it’s certainly possible that James’ romcom will benefit from positive word-of-mouth in the days and weeks ahead.
Release Date
February 6, 2026
Runtime
100 Minutes
Director
Charles Kinnane, Daniel Kinnane
Writers
John Kinnane, Patrick Kinnane, Kevin James
Producers
Kevin James, Mark Fasano, Jeffrey Greenstein