Product: Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Rating: 3.0
(3 1/2) A FICTIONAL MOVIE Script Based On A TRUE STORY
The concept that formed the basis of Frances Mayes' acclaimed memoir UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN has been used as a starting point for the development of the storyline for this film. However, this movie is a wonderful illustration of the difficulties of fashioning a film with wide box office appeal from a fascinating book with a devoted but limited audience. I have not read the book but apparently its lyrical and captivating descriptions of Frances' experiences in purchasing and renovating Bramasole, a rundown Italian villa, and of her enjoyment of life in the Italian countryside led the producers to want to capture those experiences on film. However, they decided that they needed more of a story in order to engage the audience, and settled on a backdrop of failed romance contrasted with the enthusiasm of young love as a means of keeping the audience engaged for this almost two hour film. The result is an enjoyable story, some wonderful scenery, several funny lines and incidents but no truly uproarious comedy, a marvelous performance by Diane Lane, but also a relatively formulaic story that never veers too far from the predictable. Yet while attempting to provide feelgood endings for all the various threads of the story, it does fail however to answer the mystery regarding the old man with flowers.The movie casts Frances as a frustrated writer whose professional existence is as a book reviewer, and this persona is important to the storyline both at the start and also at the contrived conclusion of the film. She becomes despondent when she learns that her husband is having an affair and wants a divorce, and this film traces her progress through the various stages of her emotional journey. It then utilizes the technique of her deciding to live in and renovate an Italian villa which she stumbles upon during a trip to Italy (arranged by her concerned friends) as the source of her eventual catharsis and reaffirmation of life. Her best friend Patti (Sandra Oh) unexpectedly joins Frances in Italy during Patti's final stages of pregnancy when she is deserted by her lesbian lover, and there are romantic episodes involving Frances which provide counterpoint to the budding romance between a young man who is a member of the Polish crew renovating her new home and the daughter of the neighboring Italian family. Finally, there is Katherine (Lindsay Duncan) an intriguing Englishwoman who settled in Italy years ago following a teenage encounter with FE FE (known to the rest of us as Frederico Fellini) that left an indelible impression on her life.While all this is enjoyable, due to the fact that the plot was grafted onto a very different type of book the movie simply wanders towards its eventual conclusion without any real suspense or passion. While I am sure that many filmgoers will differ, I would have it preferred that it contain either more realism or at the other extreme be a much more straightforward character study with some elements of suspense, unfortunately we got neither. (Personally, I had hoped for an Italian version of THIS OLD TUSCAN HOUSE with a Bob Vila equivalent giving some serious insights into such a project intertwined with a believable storyline.) Instead, the renovation project itself was used mostly to generate laughs. Thus, despite the film being well made and enjoyable, I cannot rate it more than three stars since I have no desire to either watch it again in the immediate future or to own the DVD. However, when you want light entertainment, and especially if you are a Diane Lane fan or want to see a performance by an actress who gets the most out of her material, you should see this film. Just don't set your expectations too high.Tucker Andersen