Product: Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Rating: 4.0
Exudes Warmth and Fun
Frances (Diane Lane) is a writer who has just gone through a nasty divorce. Disgruntled in San Francisco, she finds that her friend's insistence that she take a trip to Tuscany is a blessing in disguise. But Frances doesn't just stay for a touristy trip-she impulsively falls in love with a old villa and thus begins her life in Italy. This new life, it turns out, is the best thing Frances could have. In a quiet, gradual way she begins to deal with her divorce and finds lessons, friends, love, and a beautiful new existence.I didn't expect much from "Under the Tuscan Sun." It sounded fairly dippy and a bit too cute. I was sure it would be one of those movies that tries maniacally hard to tug at your heartstrings and becomes intolerable for that reason. But, wonder of wonders, it wasn't!Somehow, Diane Lane captured her character perfectly. Frances (or Francesca, as she was known in Italy) seemed like someone to root for. She didn't usually look or dress like a movie star-much of the time in the movie she wore old flannel shirts and a scraggly ponytail-and reacted to her new life and friends as we ourselves might. Frances alternately blunders, rejoices, makes unwise romantic decisions, yet somehow comes out right. No matter what the film moment, Lane knew what to deliver, and this helped the film move along naturally and smoothly.I also enjoyed the somewhat unpredictable nature of this movie. Yes, I knew from the start that things were going to end up somewhat happily at the end, but really didn't know how. And that was one of the big reasons why I liked "Under the Tuscan Sun." Its rambling pace just seemed so natural, and the fact that Frances's life takes quirky little dips and dives makes the movie all the better. You really "sink into" the film, and watching the lives of Frances and her friends change feels interesting, realistic, and fun. Another aspect of the plot that I greatly enjoyed was that Frances's love life was NOT picture perfect! She seemed so much more likeable then. (Will say no more about this, as do not want to spoil plot).No, "Under the Tuscan Sun" is nothing that will win an Academy Award. But it's warm, pleasurable, and the next best thing to an Italian vacation.