“The Love Scam (Mica è colpa mia)” is a genial Italian caper comedy that barely manages “genial” and never really capers.

There’s a lack of ambition, an Italian shrug of indifference, that slacks through every element — script, direction and performances. The setting — the low-rent district of hard-luck Naples — is engaging, and the story’s harmless enough, but so winded it feels like a sequel to a comedy that might not have been as limp as its follow-up.

Antonio Folletto stars as Vito, a single dad struggling to get a job to cover expenses. But bringing a baby to work means he can only manage dishwashing gigs.

He and his sketchy brother Antonello (Vincenzo Nemolato) inherited their grandfather’s tumbledown apartment building, which keeps them housed and covers some of their expenses until the last of their tenants/owners sells out and moves out.

As Antone has allowed sketchy friends to use the address as a cover for their illicit activities, and they’re in violation of codes of all sorts, they’re about to lose the place to redevelopers. Vito doesn’t realize this until the very last minute.

What can they do? Pleading their case to the De Leonardi development group that holds their note is impossible. Business heiress Marina (Laura Adriani) is always in a fury, with no time to hear from the victims of her father’s redeveloping empire.

But the siblings crash a charity gala (baby in tow) to try and change her mind. A few bungles later and Antone has possession of her smart phone, which he quickly cracks.

With access to her life, he comes up with a plan to learn his dislikes and passions and vulnerabilities so that they can exploit them and become something and someone that Marina would give the time of day to — a charity. And along the way, maybe they can shove a wedge between Marina and her chilly, business-arrangement fiance (Loris De Luna).

Vito becomes wealthy philanthropist Carlo, who feeds the poor, helps (via Photoshop) third world villages modernize and is always underfoot, trying to get Marina’s attention.

A cute touch — Antone gets Vito to memorize philanthropic slogans and selfless sayings to trot out at just the right moment. As his memory’s not great, sometimes Vito has to write these on his arms.

“When you’re fortunate, sharing is like a duty,” (in Italian or dubbed into English).

The performances occasionally amp up to the sort of energy required to make a low-heat farce like this come off, but not often.

Most of what happens during this B-director Umberto Riccioni Carteni film — he did “La Seconda Chance” — is utterly predictable, preordained plot points built on predigested situations and banal dialogue.

There’s barely a laugh in the thing as it makes its indifferent way from point A to point B.

Rating: TV-MA, profanity

Cast: Antonio Folletto, Laura Adriani, Loris De Luna and Vincenzo Nemolato

Credits: Umberto Riccioni Carteni, scripted by A Netflix release.

Running time: 1:41