|
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Posted by Hermione, Oct 6, 2003
It never occurred to me just why chick flicks are called what they are. Granted they cater to women’s desire for the perfect romance, and granted they tend to contain a little bit more cheese than the typical gun-filled action flick, but yesterday I found out the real reason why movies like Under the Tuscan Sun qualify as girl movies…because for guys, they’re pure torture.
Genre: Drama |
Cast: Diane Lane, Raoul Bova, Sandra Oh, Lindsay Duncan, Dan Bucatinsky |
Director(s): Audrey Wells |
Producer(s): Audrey Wells, Laura Fattori, Tom Sternberg |
Rated: PG-13 for sexual content and language. |
Length: 113 minutes | Released: Sep 26, 2003 |
|
Stars: 3.5 out of 5
|
|
And the thing is that Under the Tuscan Sun is actually not that chicky a chick flick…at least it didn’t strike me as one. Romance was only secondary to the plot, and there were no weepy moments in sight. I thought it funny and enlightening and a nice stress-free ending to my day. In short, I really liked the movie.
The story of a writer (Lane) whose unexpected divorce throws her for a loop and, through chain of events, causes her to purchase a decrepit villa in Tuscany, Sun is an uplifting tale of friendship and family. The acting is all around excellent and the film combines the perfect amount drama and comedy to give the viewer a film that’s serious, but not so serious that one chokes on her emotions. The dialogue is witty, and the photography amazing.
Diane Lane, who was most recently seen in Unfaithful but whose credits include such gems as A Walk on the Moon and My Dog Skip seems right at home in this role and has the aura of such classical actresses as Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. She was cast perfectly here as Frances, and her role is only complimented by her fellow actors’ performances. Sandra Oh’s portrayal of Patti, Frances’ gay, pregnant, best friend is very well done and, consequentially, accounts for most of the comic relief throughout the film. For me, though, it was Vincent Riotta who stole the show. Not very well known outside of his native Italy (he’s played in a few American movies such as Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and In Love and War) the man absolutely radiated on-screen. He was handsome, charming, and certainly commanded attention without seeming in the least bit severe. I, for one, certainly hope he decides to try his hands at more American films as I’d love to see him in more films.
There is no doubt in my mind that Under the Tuscan Sun will turn heads; it’s just that kind of movie. It certainly opened my eyes to a kind of film that I ordinarily might not choose to see. And if anything it reinforced the fact that love is blind, illiterate, and in this case immune to girly movies. I commend my boyfriend for sitting through all two hours of this film; for him it was torture (“guys, don’t go see it,” he warns) but for me it was a delightful experience.
|
