Most romantic comedies aren't worth seeing on the big screen. They are nice to rent on a rainy day but not worth shelling out eight dollars to see in the theater; light-hearted romances are too formulaic to be interesting or true to life.
"Under the Tuscan Sun," however, is an above-average romantic comedy. The scenery is breathtaking, the lead actress is excellent and the message is hopeful.
Diane Lane plays Frances, an author and book critic recently divorced from her philandering husband. Her best friend Patti (Sandra Oh) has signed up to go on a gay tour of Tuscany, but changes her mind when she finds out she's pregnant. The ticket is transferred to Frances, and before she knows it, she is traveling the Tuscan countryside.
While in Tuscany, Frances sees an old, run-down villa for sale. She sneaks in to take a look and within about five minutes of being inside the house, she has bought it.
Imagine, if you will, being an American who speaks little to no Italian, stuck in Italy with a house that is falling apart, without even one person to call a friend. This is the situation Frances faces.
Now remember that this is a romantic comedy. Therefore, it must be cheery and positive. Soon after she moves in, Frances has befriended her neighbors, the lawyer who sold her the villa, and the group of Polish men who are renovating her house.
Despite these friends, Frances still wants romantic love. She thinks she has found it with Marcello, a handsome Italian man she meets while shopping in Rome. Marcello proves himself to be just like other men, however, when he dumps her for a more geographically convenient woman.
Cue the pregnant lesbian friend. Patti shows up on Frances' doorstep, hugely pregnant and crying over the lost lover with whom she was to raise the child. Patti moves in, and before Frances even knows it, her bachelorette villa has turned into a home for three.
Frances' life continues to get cheerier. The Polish renovators become like a family to her, filling her house with hungry men to cook for. She becomes an abettor in an illicit love affair, befriends the crazy-yet-insightful Katherine (Lindsay Duncan), and hosts a beautiful wedding in her backyard. The lesson learned: perhaps romantic love isn't the only thing that makes life worth living (although you'll have to see the movie yourself if you want to know whether that romantic relationship is found or not.)
This movie puts a refreshing twist on the usual romantic comedy plot. Frances thinks her life is over when her husband leaves her, but one day she gets out of bed, dries her tears and sets out to live a life of impulse and beauty. By the end of the movie, Frances realizes that she doesn't need a man in her life to fill her heart with love or her house with laughter -- she has found these things without that special someone.
Lane shines in this film. She has that special gift of being both absolutely gorgeous and extremely talented. Most of the rest of the cast are Italian actors who had never starred in American movies, but they too are talented and add to the authentic Italian flavor of the film
The scenery in this film is incredible. Panoramic shots of seaside villages and rolling countryside will take your breath away. After the credits rolled, I immediately had the desire to hop on a plane and head to Italy. Plus, the cinematography is more artistic than in most run-of-the-mill comedies. There are some quirky shots that will wake you up if you've happened to drift off into an Italian daydream.
Go see this movie. It probably isn't going to change your life or make you contemplate deep, philosophical issues, but it will leave you happy and hopeful. It provides two hours of escapism, something that everyone could use a little of these days. And maybe, if you get the same message that I did, it will cause you to look around at what and whom you already have in life, and appreciate it a little more.
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