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Volume CXXXIII, Number 4 |
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Under the Tuscan Sun as fluffy as a tasty Italian tiramisu
DIANA HEALD
STAFF WRITER
Frances (Diane Lane), a young writer and literary critic from San Francisco, moves out of her house when she realizes her husband is having an affair. After a brief stint living in an apartment complex full of other divorcees, her best friend Patti (Sandra Oh) buys her a ticket for a tour of Tuscany. Frances at first refuses, but eventually decides she needs a break from her everyday life and heads to Italy. She plans to stay for a brief vacation, but while visiting the city of Cortona, she sees an ad for a nearby villa and purchases it on a whim.
The house is in great need of repairs, so Frances enlists the help of her real estate agent Martini (Vincent Riotta) and three Polish workmen to restore the house. Hilarity ensues as various aspects of the reconstruction go wrong.
On an excursion to Rome, Frances meets the handsome Marcello (Raoul Bova) and goes with him by motorcycle to his seaside home for a romantic and passionate evening, in which they overcome many of their preconceived stereotypes. They agree to stay in touch even though they live several hours apart. Unfortunately, their long distance relationship proves to be too much for Frances and Marcello, who struggle to work through their problems.
Wells and Mayes cleverly address the culture clash between Frances and her Italian friends with witty scenes, which are funny if a bit clichéd. They fail, however, to make Frances's divorce quite so amusing; many of the jokes about Frances's relationships and sex life are more bizarre than they are funny.
The plot is predictable for the most part, and the ending is something of a disappointment as it does not relate well with the rest of the film. Many of the loose ends in the movie never seem to get quite tied up. However, the scenery is quite visually pleasing, as are the actors themselves.
Under the Tuscan Sun may not provoke much contemplation or discussion of the issues it attempts to bring up, but it certainly provides some humorous moments. If you are looking for a light film to brighten a rainy afternoon, this movie hits the spot.
Under the Tuscan Sun is rated PG-13 and is 113 minutes long. It is now
playing at Hoyt's.
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