Product: Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Rating: 4.0
Like a beloved amusement park ride
Frances is a writer whose life is about to become undone. After it does, her friends insist that she take their extra tickets for a gay tour of Tuscany. The rest of the film pretty much writes itself: Frances will take the tour, go through various adventures, meet new and interesting people and (most likely) find love.The redeeming feature of this predictability is the smart writing and the intelligent acting. Diane Lane, as Frances, projects a wide rage of subtle and even conflicting emotions, Lane is what made the movie not only bearable, but even enjoyable.Some people love amusement parks and love riding roller coasters. The fun is not the similarity of the ride -- it goes up; it goes down; it goes back to where it started from -- but in appreciating the craft and subtle variations that go into each coaster. "Tuscan Sun" is like that. You pretty much know that all will be well, but you can appreciate the wonderful artistry it took to make it. This ride includes gay mothers, an aging Fellini's star still recreating her roles, a Polish construction crew, a grandmother with an e-mail boyfriend, swarthy flirts and lovers and an ancient Tuscan estate that badly needs resurecting.Hang on and enjoy the ride!