This is actually a pretty entertaining chick flick. Diane Lane plays Frances, a newly divorced writer, who impulsively buys a house in Tuscany, Italy while on a tour there. As is expected in these types of pics, she becomes den mother to those around her, and finds romance. No real surprises here, but Lane is a lot of fun. If you're in the market for a date movie, you could do a lot worse.
Nitpick:
In the Christmas scene, the intensity of the snowfall varies from shot to shot.
My description of this movie: Think of something that has charm and depth, say for instance, the book that inspired this movie. Then take out all the charm and depth and add gratuitous (but not at all unwelcome, wink wink) shots of Diane Lane in a bra, and you got this movie.
Granted, it's not as atrocious as the adaptation of Janet Fich's White Oleander (Note to Michelle Phiefer: Yes, Ingrid Rasmussen is evil, but she's not Hannibal ••••••• Lecter. You shouldn't have tried to play her like that. Rennee Zellwegger deserved an Oscar just for being the only actress in that movie who didn't ruin her character. She was to that movie what Andy Garcia was to Godfather III), but still. Skip the movie, go to a used book store (mainstream bookstores only carry copies with the movie tie-in cover) and buy the book.
Brian Webber: My description of this movie: Think of something that has charm and depth, say for instance, the book that inspired this movie. Then take out all the charm and depth and add gratuitous shots of Diane Lane in a bra.
Luigi Novi: I'm there.
Now that I think about it, my review for this moive could easily apply to Where The Heart Is. Did you ever see that one, with Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd (who was really funny, I'll give her that much)? It took a cute book with, as one reviewer put it, tons of redneck charm (he meant that as a complimnet), and turned it into a smegging soap opera.
In an interior scene, Frances' cat is sipping milk on top of her desk. But...the kitty disappears in the very next shot.
I still liked this movie (even though I saw it on a less than memorable date) and watched it again on Starz Theater this morning.
Diane Lane may be the new queen of chick flicks. Come 7/29, her latest romance film, Must Love Dogs opens. In the poster for that flick, check out the big mutt that's between Ms. Lane and her co-star, John Cusack.