Under the Tuscan Sun Starring Diane Lane, Raoul Bova Directed by Audrey Wells Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language 3/4 out of Stars, Movie Grade: B

Theatrical Release: September 26, 2003
Running time: 113 minutes

by Kevin Lang

Last year, Diane Lane starred opposite Richard Gere in Adrian Lyne's "Unfaithful." Watching her in that role, you could almost hear her sizzle on the screen, like a smooth stick of butter melting against a warm skillet (or as a female I know put it, being a slut). In any case, the butter melted a little slower in Lane's latest film, "Under the Tuscan Sun," which took a step back from the erotic seductiveness of "Unfaitful" to tell the story of a woman who has to rebuild her life after a divorce. The movie, based on the novel of the same name by Frances Mayes, was an enjoyable film that started off strong, dragged on a little in the middle, but concluded with a feel good ending that helped to make up for the slow points.

The story surrounded Frances Mayes (Diane Lane), a writer and book critic, who in the opening scene discovered that her husband was fooling around with a much younger woman. She learned of the news from a man whose book she had given an uncomplimentary review. With her world seemingly crashing down around her, she moved into an apartment, full of other lonely, depressed singles, who we never really met, but only heard crying next door. To avoid falling into an inescapable rut, Frances decided to join her two gay friends on a gay tour of Tuscany. Little did she know, she would stay in Tuscany, buy an old villa, and begin to rediscover herself all over again.

"Under the Tuscan Sun" was a movie about rebuilding and changing one's life after going through substantial emotional hardship, in this case a divorce. Frances and the three Polish men who she hired worked to renovate her old villa. Much like her, it had parts that she wondered if would ever work again, such as the faucet that wouldn't run. Over time, she changed the villas look, knocked down walls and laid new stones. The metaphor was obvious. As she worked to rebuild what was around her, she was rebuilding her life as well.

In the end, "Under the Tuscan Sun" was an encouraging movie for those who have had to go through significant hardship, and then work to rebuild from the fragmented pieces left behind. Frances made mistakes; such as assuming that sleeping with a man who she had met on the street the same day would turn into a promising relationship (again, someone I know called this something different). "Under the Tuscan Sun" lingered a little too long in Frances's continued disappointment, with her only truly discovering happiness at the very end. Yet, despite moments that dragged, the conclusion was satisfying, even if the satisfaction arrived a little too late in the film.

"Under the Tuscan Sun" Review written September 24, 2003, CTF.

Post Your Own Review or Opinion