Product: Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Rating: 2.0
stingy, episodic
I bought this movie hoping to see some Tuscan scenery and because I like Diane Lane.There are few views of Italy and they are very brief. In fact, the whole movie is a series of glimpses. A birth scene lasting ten seconds. A sketchy sex scene between two people who just met and don't show any signs of connecting. Glimpses of renovating the house. There is no story as such. The idea that she finds herself is totally unconvincing.The relationships are nil, except between the young boy and girl. Frances and her Chinese friend are constantly telling each other how much they like each other and that they are best friends, but we never see any other interaction between them except that. They have a half-dozen scenes at least and this is what they say every time!The reason God created stories was so that relationships could develop and become convincing. By avoiding any continuous development and giving us a choppy, episodic smattering of this and that, this movie fails as travelogue, as love story, as friendship story, as personal development story.Contrast this movie with "My House in Umbria" to see what I mean. The people in that movie connect with each other. And they have character. None of these people are characters, except the aging film star. And the scenery is a presence in that movie, and is almost an actor in the movie in its effect on the people.I think the appeal of Under the Tuscan Sun is in its theme: You can do anything you want without forethought, let the chips fall where they may, and it will all work out fine. This message is repeated explicitly several times throughout the film and is indeed illustrated repeatedly by the film itself. You can even do nothing and next thing you know, you'll be crawling with ladybugs (a symbol of good luck). This legitimation of irresponsibility must have enormous appeal for a lot of people.