Very well executed

Just perfect...

An absolute waste of money

Am I Missing Something?

One life touches another – but sometimes one life pushes another into change. A young, structured, yuppie book editor is sent to Tuscany to convince a reclusive, eccentric brilliant author to return to writing by signing a book deal with his publishing house. In the process of pressing for what his boss wants, he discovers more about the man behind the words, as well as himself. The question is who is going to help who win the battle of realizing ones dreams.How this film escaped the attention of the Academy Awards Committee is beyond me. It starts with one of the most intelligently and beautifully crafted scripts that has ever been written, weaving a simple plot line with exquisite dialogue and very powerful human emotions. The cast is phenomenal. Every performance is so strong yet subtle, it is impossible to imagine anyone else in any of the roles, and leaves you wanting to know more about every character. The direction is exactly what it should be – a synthesis of all creative efforts from all of the diverse inputs. The movie is also sculpted with magnificent cinematography, and of course, topped off with an amazing sound track.You will LOVE this movie if you enjoy any of these: artistic dialogue, great performances, breathtaking visuals, subtlety, honesty, dreamers, or romance.

There are so many implausibilities, clichés and saccharine moments in this painfully eye-averting paean to platitude, where even the dream sequences fail to be distinguishable from the "real", that it's all the more distressing to find the commendable performances by the cast marred by this juvenile plot. Those performances manage to deliver on the tasteful if bawdy humor to provide some relief from the otherwise almost unendurable silliness of this epitome of chick flicks, but not enough to finally pull this thing out of its writer's cramp. Make sure you're with someone warm and cuddly when you sit down to this one so the hour and a half isn't wasted.

Maybe I'm too cynical. I accept that. Maybe I grew up watching too may sickeningly heart-warming glory-hunting nice shy guys and gals struggle against adversity but always come out tops in the end, you know the type, Saturday afternoon Disney movies, designed to make geeky kids feel good about the world. You just got to be true to yourself, kid and then you will triumph. Well don't be fooled by the presence of Mr. Harvey Keitel, this is one of those movies that manage to turn my stomach into mulch. In fact the only thing good I can say about Harvey Keitel in this is that he looks like he feels the same as me, doing just enough to collect the pay check once the whole ordeal is over. Avoid!!

Even though the film is labeled as a romantic comedy, the main argument of the story is not the romance between the characters, but the relationship between the older writer and the younger writer. The romance that happens in the story is just a bonus. This made it enjoyable for my husband (who hates romantic comedies and will never watch them with me). So, guys, if you want to get on your girlfriend's / wife's good side, rent this movie and offer to watch it with them. Yes, it is a beautiful picture, and yes, people kiss, but the movie is more than that.For those who would like to explore the situation between the two writers, look into something called the "homosocial" by Sedgwick (has nothing to do with "homosexuality"). This movie is a good example of that.The dance scene is just breathtaking (guys, take note). They never take their eyes off each other without missing a beat (of course it is just a movie), but imagine that in real life, with the love of your life. Can you imagine the "making love" afterward?! I wish they had done the party scene a bit longer. As another person suggested, it would have been great to tie the comment made earlier in the movie about dancing with this scene. It sounds as if he was not a good dancer and then to dance like that; the movie needs something to tie the two situations. And yes, the movie does have its small problems, but overall it is a good movie and nice to watch. I was not a fan of Joshua Jackson, I liked watching Dawson's Creek every once in a while, but that was it. I think he has "blossomed" into a very handsome man. I believe he can handle bigger roles. I am so glad he left the teenage-type films behind. I wish I could find a guy that looked like that! (I hope my husband doesn't read this!) Does anyone know exactly where in Italy did they shoot the scene of the final confrontation between Joshua Jackson's and Harvey Keitel's characters? It looks like hot springs or something, but you can tell that is not hot water. That place is absolutely beautiful and looks very refreshing! When I go to Italy I want to go there but I would like to have the name of the place so I can ask.