Product: Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Rating: 3.0
A Woman's Film With a Message
With women occupying an ever increasing role in the workplace, as well as raising children on their own following divorces, Hollywood has turned away from the old pattern of all too often showcasing beautiful women as ornaments from handsome hunks, in short sex symbols without much to do beyond making their male co-stars happy.Fortunately the trend has changed and stars like Diane Lane have plenty of meat and bones in their roles. Such is the case in Under the Tuscan Sun. The story begins with San Francisco writer and book reviewer Lane reeling under the tragedy of divorce.Lane is provided with a free tour to Tuscany by a lesbian friend who bypasses the trip she purchased to give birth via in vitro fertilization. Lane bolts the gay tour in beautiful Tuscany, where she experiences an epiphany. She becomes enchanted and eventually buys an old house, with a reclamation project following, in the course of which she gets acquainted with the people and the area.Eventually Lane's lesbian friend turns up in Tuscany with a new baby after her gay relationship ends. In addition to this adjustment, Lane finds herself awakening in the sexual realm. An experience with a handsome young man from the area prompts her to see herself as never before.Lane's character arc in the film is significant as she sees herself in her new setting as never before. The relationship with the handsome young local has a strong bearing in bringing her out and creating a more developed woman. By the film's end she has enhanced her understanding of life and become more mature. She is then able to face life in a new way, having thrown off the shackles of the past.