The season to be jolly is over, and so is the time to indulge in romance dramas or romantic comedy movies that’ll leave you with a good laugh or at least a smile on thy face. The Love Scam is the new Italian Netflix film that was released on the streaming platform right on the first of the year, 2025. The movie tells the story of a single father going out of his way to save the building he lives in, find a permanent job, and raise his son in the right environment.
Spoilers Ahead
Why was Vito looking for a job?
The movie began with Vito trying hard to find a job in the city of Naples, as he has to raise his baby son Napoleon. Napoleon was only a few months old when his mother left him and Vito. As a father Vito stepped up to raise him the right way. He was frustrated looking for a good job, as his current place of work was not offering good pay. On top of that, his brother Antonio was busy scamming people and took no responsibility for the apartment they were about to lose thanks to the dilapidated building they were living in. Antonio and Vito were horrified to learn that they owed a lot of money to a certain De Leonardi family. It was Antonio’s mistake that caused him and Vito to accrue a huge debt and he forced his brother to come up with a solution to get them out of this mess.
What was the plan Antonio came up with to earn money?
The brothers came up with a plan to meet Marina, the heir to the De Leonardi business, which was engaged in the refurbishing of many old buildings. Their plan goes out of the window since Marina was busy attending a charity dinner she’d hosted with her boyfriend Federico. Unable to meet her or her father, Antonio ends up pocketing Marina’s phone purely out of habit.
Antonio was able to scour through her phone and find out her personal details, which include her charity work across Naples and other towns of Italy. Since Marina belonged to a rich family, giving back to the community came easy to her. It was her way to provide for the needy who do not lead a lavish life like hers. Antonio planned for Vito to masquerade as a rich philanthropist, Carlo, in front of Marina. Carlo was looking for some money for his new charity venture, and Antonio was sure Marina would show interest because of her experience in philanthropy. The money she would donate would be used to pay off the brothers’ debt to her father.
Did Vito and Marina become friends?
Vito, as Carlo, met Marina for the first time in an elevator. They later met at a yoga class, and she assumed he was stalking her, which was technically correct, but Vito had to concoct a lie to make their meet cute seem believable. He offered to drop her home after the yoga class, and they soon began to meet frequently. Vito passed off the restaurant he worked at as his own place and invited her over. He had to present evidence to make her believe that he worked towards the upliftment of the poor and the needy by donating the food from his restaurant.
Marina was feeling guilty about spending time with Carlo at his restaurant, and she backed away. Antonio’s research into her past gave him a breakthrough. He confidently pointed out that Marina liked cooking, as was evident from the pictures on her phone. To get her to get into the kitchen, Vito offered her a gig involving cooking food for a charity event at his restaurant. She was hesitant, but she agreed to it, as it would be a start to her hobby that’d never manifested before because of her work at her father’s company. The trial session went well, and for the first time, Vito and Marina felt a mutual attraction.
What happened on the boating trip?
A few days before the event, Marina and Carlo headed out midnight fishing, to catch the best fish for the food she would prepare. That trip turned out to be an intimate one as the attraction between the two grew, with them realizing they liked hanging out with each other. Vito had given up on the thought of being in love after his girlfriend abandoned him and their son. After having spent enough time with Marina, he realized she was more than just a rich woman and hence he was having second thoughts about conning her. The next day after the fishing trip, Vito, as Carlo, introduced Napoleon to Marina and shared the story of his girlfriend leaving him and their child behind. As expected, Marina was moved, and for this brief period, Vito was honest with her.Â
Was the charity lunch a success?
Marina was excited about the charity lunch, and at the same time, Vito and Antonio were gathering up actors who will pretend to be rich donors. The plan was to make Marina believe there were people interested in his charity project, with the turnout propelling her interest to invest as well. The faux charity event turned out to be a huge success, as everyone enjoyed the food, and Marina was extremely elated to have received such a response. It was the first time she was happy with the outcome of her hard work, and she’d never had this feeling working at her father’s company. She was overwhelmed by the response since it was her first gig as a cook, and this would encourage her to start a restaurant like she’d always dreamed.
Did Marina learn of Carlo’s real identity?
On the other side of town, Frederico noticed Marina’s sudden disappearances and began to trail her. A happy Marina returned to her office to find Frederico confronting her about her whereabouts. Frederico was ready with the information about Carlo and his setup to con Marina. Vito confessed to his brother about his feelings for Marina, and how he could not go ahead with the plan to con her. Vito, Napoleon, and Antonio got back to find Marina waiting for them, and she was angry. She confronted Vito about his lies, and he did not deny it, since he was planning to come clean as well. He was feeling guilty over hurting her and not backing away from a con that could have saved him.
How did Marina save the building?
An angry Marina walked away, ending any chance of her and Vito reconciling professionally and personally. However, Vito and his brother came to know that Marina’s father planned to convert their building into a hotel, and they’d created issues like leaks and construction damage in the building to make the residents leave. There might’ve been some truth to the notion all the damage had been faked, since Marina’s father was known for ruthless takeovers. Vito assumed Marina had joined her father in this venture and confronted her. Vito was as angry at her as she was at him, but the reasons were totally different.
A confused Marina was out of words on learning about the dilapidated building. She did the math and realized it was her fiancé Frederico’s doing. Marina did charity work for years, and as a result, she would have never asked people to leave their homes. She finally understood her fiancé was a gold digger who was desperate to work his way into her father’s good books. His plan was to live off Marina and her father’s money, and the success of the hotel would cement his position in the family business. Marina had a falling out with Frederico over this matter, and he was confident they wouldn’t go to the court or the police since it would damage their company’s reputation. She was out of ideas on how to save the building. This proved she was not keen on working with her father. Her father had to step in and stop the demolition from taking place. Turns out her father had been willing to hear Marina out, and he did the right thing.
Did Marina express her love for Vito?
Antonio, who finally understood the love Vito harbored for Marina, in his last attempt to save them from making a mistake, dropped his brother’s phone into her bag, hoping that she would find it. This was Antonio’s way of bringing the two people in love together, and he wanted to make amends with Marina and his brother. Marina did find the phone, and she heard the voice note, where Vito declared his love for her to Antonio. She felt bad for judging Vito too soon and not giving him a chance to make it up to her. There was an attraction between the two that got ruined, but on hearing the voice note, Marina wanted to make things right.
Marina visited Vito at his place of work, where he was a janitor. This was the same restaurant he had passed off as his own and hosted a faux charity lunch in. Marina was confident, as she was aware of his feelings for her and did not hesitate to confess how she felt. They kissed, which was a signal stating they were ready for a relationship. She was not worried about his financial status or the fact that he was a single father. She loved him for who he was, and vice versa in Vito’s case as well. He had given up on love, but life had other plans ever since Marina came into his life. She and Vito somehow understood each other’s dreams and wanted to pursue them together. Vito could see Marina was an emotionally steady person, and she was never keen on inheriting her father’s money. Her grounded nature floored him as well. It was brave of Vito to walk away from his brother’s con for the sake of the woman he loved, proving he had a kind heart.
The Love Scam ended with Marina starting a restaurant of her own, as she had dreamed of doing. Vito supported her dream and began to help her with the running of the establishment. This was a perfect ending to the chaotic start Marina and Vito experienced. Both were happy with each other and planned to raise Napoleon together.
