Great Film overall

Crappy film

Blistering performances.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Full disclosure: I am a recently (ecstatically) divorced woman living my life happily as a whole person without (gasp!) a man. Also a successful and hard-working writer.Diane Lane does as well as she can, but this "a woman's happiness is with a man" shtick is tired. A divorced American writer who lost her San Francisco house to her ex and his lover travels to Italy and suddenly has the wherewithal to buy a run-down Italian money-pit villa where men emerge everywhere to make her feel better? Without having to resort to (gasp!) actual writing work? What happened to truly finding your self and caring for that person, regardless of who is around to fluff up your ego? A friend recommended this because I love Italy (the real one, not this 50s fantasy) and was recently divorced. Give me "Enchanted April" instead where women discover they are complete just as they are, without any hangers on or people to tell them how great/beautiful/amazing they are. Not against men, just against anyone defining themselves solely by a relationship. What ever happened to loving human partnerships where both are able to fulfill themselves in the context of the relationship? Sorry I wasted the hour and a half. Better off petting the cat and enjoying just being alive.

In many ways Under The Tuscan Sun seems to be a kinder and gentler version of The Roman Spring Of Mrs. Stone. Both deal with female protagonists who have lost their husbands and seemingly a reason for existence as both had much maybe too much invested in their marriages.Unlike Vivien Leigh's film where her husband dies leaving her a wealthy widow who can now indulge in hedonism, Diane Lane was a successful author who supported her husband who was struggling as a writer and she catches him with another woman. He demands and gets the alimony.So disgusted is she that she takes off for Italy on a gay tour at the behest of her lesbian friend Margaret Oh who gives up her and her partner's ticket for one first class for Lane because she badly needs R&R. That's a friend, no one ever did that for me. The theory being that on a gay tour she can think without being hit on as a ready to rebound divorcée.Passing through Tuscany she spots a villa being sold dirt cheap by American prices and impulsively buys it. After that comes a few heartaches, but gradually Lane's back in the swing of things Italian style as it were.I did love the nicely photographed scenes of Italy showing the daily life there. Lane really dominates the film and though she's sadder and wiser she's not caught up in a meaningless and hedonistic existence as Vivien Leigh was. And Margaret Oh has a lot of wisdom in her and she will be one you remember.For sadder and wiser romantics Under The Tuscan Sun is cheerfully recommended.

I believe every movie that resonates with me has its own perfect place in my life. This is a down-in-the-mouth, pick-me-up favorite of mine. I find it perfectly comforting on those ho-hum / woe-is-me days when I could really use a hug or a drink or both. I have to report that I have watched this movie at least twenty times, both alone and with friends (misery loves company). I have even gone to the extreme of having the same food and wine as shown in the movie ready to partake when I /we get to the scene (which really makes it fun by the way). The big news here is that no matter how bad I feel when I hit the play button, I always feel much better by the time credits roll at the end… Always!What I love most about the movie (spoiler alert) is the wistful yet posthumous advice Frances (Diane Lane) is constantly given from Federico Fellini (the late great movie director). He sends his advice through his medium, a classic blonde beauty (seriously classic) named Katherine (played by Lindsay Duncan), who claims to have been il Maestro's muse. Aside from the amazing cinematography that will make you want to purchase a one way ticket to Tuscany, the lovely and captivating acting, and the fun, move- your-body soundtrack, it is the foodie scene that may really capture your heart, it captured mine. I can make all of the dishes in the big foodie scene at this point, and I share this with great pride. LolWhen compared to the rainy-day, page-turner by Audrey Wells, well I should say, there is no comparison to the book really other than the location and the title. This story has lovely merit all its own. If you try to compare it to the book, as so many have, you will not find the same story. I have enjoyed both the book and the movie. In my mind they are Audrey Wells' fraternal twins and I love the both!

This movie shows you how to live your life and dare to make your dreams come true. It's about taking a leap of faith when you least expect it and however terrifying it is, daring to see it through. It's also a story about love and how you really only can give love, when your life is full and you truly love yourself. The movie shows you a beautiful sight of Italy where classic villagers and modern life go hand in hand. You see a woman who finds herself at the total bottom of her life, and the only way she can go is up. It takes some people a year, some almost a lifetime but the only thing that matters is the road. It doesn't matter how long it takes for you to get to where you want to, but if you make it, that's when your life truly begins. Home really is where the heart is.