Product: Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Rating: 4.0
Beautiful and Romantic, Great Director Commentary
The movie is not the book -- the book is a poetic love affair with Tuscany, and the movie is a romantic comedy with Tuscany sightseeing a smaller part of the story. Both the book and the movie make you want to visit Italy. I found that I appreciated the movie more on the second viewing when my expectations for immediate humor and romance were not so high. That's because -- like most Diane Lane parts -- you need to let yourself feel and grow with the main character. Personally, I fell in love with many of the characters and boy, do I want that house she renovated! The last time I watched the DVD, I followed up with listening to the director's commentary and was glad that I did. The director is generous in explaining how she developed the story, how she chose the actors, what difficulties she encountered during production and why she made the compromises that she did (not that I noticed any).