Rating: 
Summary: Cliche city, what was Diane Lane thinking?
Review: Diane Lane is a gifted actress who had just started to come into her own in recent times. I realise that good scripts aren't plentiful for actors over 35, but Diane should have left this one alone. I also have to agree with another reviewer about Diane's facial expressions during this film - quite annoying!Full of every cliche possible, the film does not allow you to think even for a second. On top of that, every scene seemed to be stolen from another movie. The scenery thankfully is the movie's saving grace. Watch it for that alone. Definitely disappointed with this.
Rating:
Summary: Could Have, Should Have, Been Good...But Wasn't
Review: I read Frances Mayes' book, UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, so I thought I would like the movie. Even though I knew the film was going to be a highly fictionalized account of the book, I still had very high hopes for it, however, I found I was very disappointed with it instead. The story centers on a fictionalized Frances Mayes, a San Francisco novelist who is emotionally and financially shattered when she discovers that her marriage isn't all she thought it had been. She's given a tour of Tuscany (albeit with a group of gay people) courtesy of her own gay friend, Patti (played rather badly by Sandra Oh). For reasons that are never made completely clear, Frances decides to buy a very rundown house in the Tuscan village of Cortona. (Of course, we know the reason; Mayes bought a house in Cortona, but under very different circumstances.) The house is in dire need of repair and I kind of thought the film would center on this, but perhaps the people involved thought this would make it too similar to Peter Mayle's wonderful A YEAR IN PROVENCE, for while the remodeling does play a part in this film, it is certainly not its focus (I really don't know what its focus is). As the home is completed, Frances realizes that her life is far, far from complete. She has no friends in Tuscany, she has no husband, she has no lover. So, again for reasons not made very clear, she decides to take a trip to Rome. While there, she's pursued by three workmen and meets handsome Marcello (Raoul Bova). Raoul seems to be the quintessential "Italian lover," but he turns out to be something quite different instead. I think writer/director, Audrey Wells wanted to give women the message that they really don't need a man to make them happy. If she did, it's a message I didn't get...at least not in this film. If anything, I got the opposite message: don't let life pass you by. The second half of the film drifts from here to there and most of the storyline, as well as the acting, is simply wasted on a plot that has no cohesion. Francis' motivations and feelings are never clear. Marcello's are, but Bova is given far, far too little on screen time and his relationship with Lane is never allowed to develop. Another wasted talent is actor Vincent Riotta, who plays Lane's real estate agent. His motivations and emotions are never made clear, either. At some points in the film he seems to be the picture of marital fidelity; at others, he seems to have a definite hankering for Frances and, while the two aren't mutually exclusive, Wells' writing does credit to neither. Instead of developing some kind of plot involving Frances and her attempt to put her emotional life back together again, far too much time is devoted to subplots that I found it difficult to impossible to care about. Sandra Oh's pregnancy subplot was simply boring and, while Pawel and Chiara, the two young, star-crossed "Romeo and Juliet" type lovers, were sweet and charming (Pawel, especially was quite cute), they were also quite uninteresting. And the English actress was simply annoying and extraneous. While the acting was okay, cutting the character from the film would have only strengthened it. Another problem I had with this film were the unanswered questions. In the beginning of the film, Frances is having trouble making ends meet financially. Where on earth did she get enough money to buy, furnish and redecorate that large farmhouse in Tuscany? When on earth did it become so easy for an unemployed person who is not independently wealthy and not a resident of Italy to buy property there? Paperwork is the name of the game in European countries. Just read A YEAR IN PROVENCE for all the gory details. And, though France may be the worst, Italy is not far behind. Who financed the birth of Patti's (Sandra Oh's) baby in a Florence hospital since she has no insurance? Events in this film were just "too easy" and too contrived for the sake of the plot Wells wanted, but failed, to develop. UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN was filmed in Cortona, Montepulciano, Rome and Positano, some of the most beautiful places on earth and, some of the cinematography is spectacular, but it's not what I expected. Geoffrey Simpson didn't take advantage of the beauty all around him and use it to full advantage as he could have. I will admit, that on the cinematography score, I may be prejudiced. I've spent a lot of time in Tuscany and other parts of Italy and I know it, and it's beauty, well. I felt a little let down. People not so used to the Italian countryside might feel differently. I couldn't decide if UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN was meant to be a light, romantic comedy, a bittersweet romance, or a story of a woman "finding herself." I guess it's supposed to be the latter, and quite feminist yet to boot, but if it is, I think it failed miserably and the failure, I have to say, is all Wells'. The actors did their jobs adequately to very well. The ending of UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN left me feeling very unsatisfied. I didn't get the sense that Frances had finally found her "place in life." I didn't get the sense that things were as they should be, whether they be bitter and dark or sunny and light or somewhere in between. I just felt, "Oh, well, that's the end of the film." All in all, I think it was Wells' poor writing that straggles off into meaningless subplots no one really cares about that destroyed what could have been, and should have been, a lovely, sensitive and very meaningful film.
Rating:
Summary: Under the Weather...
Review: This film is blessed with the beautiful scenery of Tuscany. From the beautiful vistas, to the colorful seaside to the richly cultured towns, we are treated to something special. Additionally, the beautiful and talented Oscar Nominee Diane Lane adds to the esthetic value of the film. Unfortunately, that is the end of the positive notice for this story. Start with the screenplay that is thrown together from clichés from hundreds of much better mediocre films, add in a community theatre caliber actress in the role of a lesbian mother-to-be and put it all in front of a camera with no apparent director. The story pushes and pushes for a payoff definitely not worth the hour and 45 minutes. The DVD has a great video transfer and the audio transfer is acceptable, nicely presenting the sweet musical score.
Rating: 
Summary: So so tale under the Italian landscape
Review: I loved the Italian landscape, and I think it was best aspect of the film. As for the plotline and the film itself, I'd have to say I was disappointed. With all the rave reviews about the film, and it's long cinema run, I guess I was looking for something more. This is one of those movies that will probably take a second showing in order to grow on me. Otherwise, it is worth viewing if you enjoy the theme of a woman who escapes, or should I say, runs away to beautiful Italy to live a somewhat carefree life that still does not allow her to escape disappointment and a slight experience of heartache with an Italian hunk! The ending did not leave me with that warm feeling.
Rating:
Summary: Better Than the Book
Review: After years of assuming that the movie is not as good as the book it is based on, I have come across a run of movies that are a real improvement over the books. Freaky Friday, A Year in Provence (a TV miniseries), and now Under the Tuscan Sun. Under the Tuscan Sun is not a great movie, but it is pleasant and fun to watch. The book was pleasant as well, but Frances Mayes, the author of the book, did not seem like an easy person to know and came across as a bit of a snob. She was almost insufferable in her sequel book, Bella Tuscany. Diane Lane, as Frances Mayes in the movie, plays a different and more likeable character. In fact, about the only thing that is the same in the movie as in the book is that the house is called Bramasole and is in Tuscany. The Tuscan and San Francisco scenery is beautiful, Frances's Italian boyfriend is gorgeous (those lips!), and the plots weave their way to a happy, if unlikely, ending. Much of the story doesn't stand up well to scrutiny, but this isn't the sort of movie you really analyze too closely. Otherwise the eccentric character played by Lindsay Duncan, the spur-of-the-moment purchase of a Tuscan villa, and even the kitten on the beach, would all seem more than a little contrived. So enjoy this movie for what it is: a chick flick, date movie, or a bit of fluffy escapism to see once.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful scenery, but thats about all
Review: Very little plot, VERY predictable, just a movie to show off a pretty face. The only saving part of the movie were the carpenters that helped Ms. Lane restore the old Tuscan villa that she had purchased. They were also a bit predictable, but rather endearing.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful in a number of ways!
Review: Under the Tuscan Sun is a pleasant story, bolstered by the undeniable appeal of a wonderful actress. Diane Lane far outshines the various inadequacies of the story and its script. Granted, Ms. Lane could coast through this bit of fluff relying on little more than her luminescent beauty alone, yet she provides plenty of texture and nuance to her role as a writer/reviewer looking to rebound from a particularly painful divorce. Lane's character, Frances is persuaded to take the place of two lesbian friends on a guided tour of Tuscany (under the banner of "We're Gay... and Away"). Believably or not, she leaves the tour mid-bus ride to purchase a small villa in need of a lot of repair. The "uprooting your life on a whim" device is a little trite, but then who hasn't fantasized about a dramatic relocation as the cure for a life crisis? From there the story (what little there is of it) balances between a voyage of personal discovery and the tale of an Italian money pit (a lire loser perhaps). Sandra Oh does well as Frances' pregnant friend and Lindsay Duncan catches notice in a poorly defined role as the local eccentric expatriate, but neither actress is given much purpose other than to provide dialogue and the occasional mild shock. The real costar here is the gorgeous scenery of Tuscan Italy, so much so that I'd recommend this movie to anyone contemplating a vacation to that region. The ultimate verdict regarding Under the Tuscan Sun is that it is light fare, that provides a visual feast combining the wonderful appeal of one of Hollywood's truly great beauties along with some of the most romantic countryside you'll ever see. Women will enjoy Lane's growing empowerment and self-discovery, while men will simply enjoy watching her, and all will treasure the locale and the people of Tuscany.
Rating:
Summary: If you read the book, don't watch the movie!
Review: I really enjoyed this book, but I was very disappointed by the movie. Rather than a story about the Italian countryside and the adventure of remodeling a home in a foreign country, this movie was about a divorced woman looking for love and her gay friend's dramatic life. Blah. I had wanted to see the charming Polish workers and the quaint Italian villages that were an important part of the original story. Oh well, this wasn't the movie for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Feminism but subtle with a range of emotions
Review: I'm not sure why this film clicked for me. It has an Oxygen or Lifetime television theme. You'd surely think you'd find a tormented divorced female with a barbaric ex that bores you to tears. Same old same old. There are people in this world happily married unbeknownst to Hollywood filmakers. I digress. I wanted to dislike this film because I disliked the premise. I'm not a man hater or a middle aged woman pining for European transcendence. However, I thought it was rather well done with a decent performance by Diane Lane. The plot was a little too Romance in Tuscan gardens or Provence grape clusters or Casablanca bars for me but the character development wasn't disappointing. I liked the characters and liked their journey. It isn't mind blowing but it was entertaining to me.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie
Review: I thought this was a great movie - for one, the Tuscan landscape was breathtaking. For another, I thought the storyline, while somewhat predictable, was still original from a lot of the movies that are out there. It definitely falls under the "chick flick" category, but if you're not the type to get into the "emotional" "love story" type movies, this may not be your cup of tea. I however, love movies that really let you get into the characters and feel great at the end.
| 
