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USA 2003
Directed by
Audrey Wells
112 minutes
Rated M

Reviewed by
Cynthia Karena
2 stars

Under The Tuscan Sun

Synopsis: Recently-divorced writer Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) is at a loose end after being forced to leave her home. She ends up buying a house in Italy (as you do). As she fixes up the house, she is also fixing up her heart. Will she be ready for love again?

Under The Tuscan Sun is a pretty lame film full of cliches. However, some of the cliches, like the gorgeous scenery, the food and the laid back Italian lifestyle, are enjoyable to watch. Lane does a reasonable job with what she's given, however it's the people around the central character that are the most interesting. There is Signor Martini (Vincent Riotta), the real estate agent with integrity (?!) who seems to have a crush on her. He does a great line in passionate restraint.

Marcello (Raoul Bova) is the classic Italian spunk and provides the occasion for a couple of the best lines of the film: "You have beautiful eyes, Francesca. I wish that I could swim inside them." She laughs and says "Wow - that's exactly the kind of thing we American women think Italian men say." The next minute she offers to sleep with him, and he says "That's exactly the kind of thing we Italian men think American women say."

Another positive (and I'm trying to find some) for the film is that Frances's love interests aren't as predictable as you would think.

A fascinating performance by Lindsay Duncan as the sexy older English woman makes this film alone worth watching. She's labelled as eccentric, but she's not that interested in cultivating an acceptable public image, she's just being herself enjoying all the delights of life. While the rest of the film seems to promote coupling as the only way to go, Katherine is a refreshing reminder that there's more to life than having a partner.

It is also enjoyable to watch the gentle relationship that Frances has with her Polish renovators unfold. However, when one of the young men falls in love with an Italian girl so do all the predictable scenes we could have done without. If this was intended to show Frances how to open herself up to amore again, it was sorely misguided.

But to go on location in Italy - yes, I'd make film there too, even if it was forgettable.

 

 

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