Product: Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Rating: 5.0
Great Film -- For a Chick Flick
*spoilers*This has to be one of my favorite chick flicks I've watched. While most others are completely predictable and hackneyed, this one throws some curve balls in there to make it unique.Go watch "Eat Pray Love" and you'll see the major differences in, what is essentially, the same story. Frances is a much more relatable and likable character who's motivations and fears are fully fleshed out. Both movies suffer from the travel stereotypes, but "Under the Tuscan Sun" explores the relationship that Frances develops with her new home. Settling in Italy was a spur of the moment decision in avoidance of going back to a life she hates (rather than making a separate decision to "find herself" in another country). Living in this run down house didn't solve her problems, but was a metaphor for her working through the failure of her marriage.My two absolute favorite parts of this movies is the fact that, unlike every other chick flick in existence, Frances gets everything she wanted out of life, but not in the way she imagined. She tried so hard to make a new romantic interest work to replace what she lost, but she realized that romance was not enough. It isn't until she realizes how wonderful her life really was, despite her lack of romance, that the One enters into the picture. I loved that the One wasn't an integral part of the story, but rather the icing on top of the cake.