Product: Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Rating: 5.0
To Italy!
Thousands of years ago, long before the Romans came on the scene, Italy was under the hegemony of a people known as the Etruscans. Eventually they were conquered by the Romans and were absorbed into the Roman Empire. Today, there is but one place in Rome which gives a hint to their existence: Tuscany.Today, we have the pleasure of having none other than Diane Lane as our tour guide of the verdant countryside of Tuscany. Ms. Lane potrays a woman who is recovering from a devastating divorce. While on an Italian tour she impulsively buys a run-down Italian villa that is out in the country. The story depicts the interesting parallel of her attempts to fix up the house as symbolic of her efforts to put her life back together after having to endure the emotional wrecking ball of a nasty, mean-spirited divorce.If I were to describe Diane Lane in one word, it would be likeable. Yes, she is gorgeous and she has a smokin' hot body. However, just one word would be likeable. She is the type of person we'd all relish to have as our next-door neighbor - for reasons that extend WELL beyond her physical appearance. She is likeable even when she plays characters that are not-so-likeable, as she did in the movie UNFAITHFUL.Some would categorize this movie as a Romantic Comedy. I'm not so sure I would. Yes, there are some comical scenes in it, but I would lean a little more towards calling it a drama due to the depth of character development.In summary, I would basically recommend this movie to 3 demographics of persons: Italians, non-Italians and everyone else. Now, go out & enjoy Tuscany with Diane Lane!!