Product: Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Rating: 3.0
An unpretentious taste of Italy shared with pleasant company
The scenery is lovely and the cinematography adequate in this competent, life-affirming tale loosely based on Frances Mayes's best-selling memoir. Add two tablespoons of ENCHANTED APRIL, a dash of A ROOM WITH A VIEW, sprinkle with Fellini-Lite (the sweet, sentimental variety), and you get a charming little side-dish that should please all but the most jaded palates. Just don't expect it to be as satisfying as a four-star entree.The cast is top-notch, with especially fine performances by Sandra Oh, Vincent Riotta, and Lindsay Duncan. The movie is a star-turn for Diane Lane, however, and she is so good that she does absolutely nothing to call attention to her acting. She simply fleshes out her character with yet another performance fine enough to make me wonder why she doesn't get the favorable press lavished on a number of less talented (and less photogenic) actresses. Could it be because she has a knack for appearing in films, like this one, that rarely deviate from the expected?