Release Date: September 26, 2003
Starring: Diane Lane, Vincent Riotta, Lindsay Duncan, Raoul Bova, Sandra Oh
Directed by: Audrey Wells
Written by: Audrey Wells
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (sexual content, language)
There is a bit of irony, or perhaps a sense of closure, in watching Diane Lane play a woman whose marriage ends in divorce because of her husband's infidelities in Audrey Wells' adaptation of Under the Tuscan Sun. After all, in her last movie prior to this, 2002's Unfaithful, the actress had the role of a housewife who got into an extramarital affair that eventually ruined a marriage. The difference is that this is a romantic comedy, and the infidelities are confined almost exclusively to the film's first 10 minutes. But Lane is the same: a beautiful, emotional actress who, despite working in anonymity for over 20 years, has now elevated herself to the elite of Hollywood actresses. And you can tell she's made it because she has the kind of talent that can carry even a mostly generic fantasy like Under the Tuscan Sun.
The main fantasy of this piece is what Frances, the San Francisco writer played by Lane, does after she gets divorced: She takes a vacation to Tuscany, paid for by her friends, and once there, decides on a whim to buy an old, dilapidated villa and move in permanently. It should be noted that writer-director Wells has very loosely adapted the story from Frances Mayes's memoir, and that many of the plot points, like the divorce and her unfaithful husband, have been dramatically changed or reduced.
Instead, Wells's new story very much resembles Hollywood's idea of a bankable romantic comedy, but with Lane as the star, the formula still makes for a very heartwarming movie. By the second act, Frances has settled in Tuscany, developing an ongoing friendship with the gentlemanly realtor Martini (Vincent Riotta) and the gang of Polish laborers who come to work on the villa. She also meets a host of other characters from the nearby town, including a middle-aged and free-spirited Englishwoman, Katherine (Lindsay Duncan), who encourages her to shake off the lingering malaise of her divorce. And at Katherine's urging, Frances takes a trip to Rome and ends up meeting the handsome Marcello (Raoul Bova), whom she falls in love with almost too easily.
Yes, they're all nearly straight out of central casting, a smorgasbord of charming European accents and smiles to help our woe-stricken American heroine through her troubles. The most interesting of them is Martini, who is clearly smitten with Frances, and though she often indicates that she might have feelings for him in return, Martini is married and unwilling to ruin his family with an affair. At times I found myself wishing that the movie was about a romance between these two, because Riotta exudes gentility and wisdom that is a perfect counterweight to Frances's spontaneity and skittishness.
Lane, who is obviously not challenged by the script or the material, puts such depth into her performance that it looks like a hard day's work anyway. She displays a range of emotions, from sorrow, pain, and heartbrokenness following her divorce, to wonderment, fear, and exhilaration in the days after she moves to Tuscany. The audience cares about her, and despite the importance of this -- especially for romantic movies -- it is usually not true about many of Hollywood's lead roles. The scene after her first weekend with Marcello, when she dances around her apartment, bursting with happiness, is particularly touching.
What sets the film apart from most other romantic comedies, other than the performance of its star, is, as the title suggests, the Tuscan setting. The sun has almost nothing to do with anything, but the film version of Mayes's story, shot on location in Tuscany, might have been more aptly titled In the Extravagantly Designed Tuscan Villa. Director Wells, cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson, and production designer Stephen McCabe show a wonderful attention to detail in each shot, focusing on tiny intricacies of the story, like a mysterious faucet that Frances finds in the entryway of her villa, or an icon of Mary set in the headboard of Frances's bed. Simpson's camera also drinks in the rich views of Tuscany, from vast fields covered with red tulips, to the earthy tones of the olive groves, to the gentle aquamarines of the Mediterranean coast. Although in some respects it's hard to believe that Tuscany would have anything to do with Frances's redemption -- after all, she has just come from California, where there must be similarly startling views of the Pacific -- but Wells, Simpson, and McCabe will do their best to convince the viewer otherwise.
Under the Tuscan Sun is a good-looking, well balanced romantic comedy. Things proceed mostly by rote, and experienced moviegoers will have little trouble discerning the order of events. But Diane Lane's strong performance, coupled with the unusual setting and the poignant themes of redemption and a constant search for newfound love, should sway those who are on the fence.
-- Craig Roush (crr225@nyu.edu)