This is one movie we can watch over and over again and imagine ourselves in Tuscany nibbling on creamy hazelnut gelato while strolling on cobblestones and admiring the historic architecture. Frances Mayes’s best-selling book “Under the Tuscan Sun” inspired this movie and it is based on her own experiences of buying and renovating a villa in Cortona Italy. Diane Lane stars as Frances, an American writer that went through a terrible divorce, and is sent to a tour of Tuscany, Italy by her dear friends.
Under The Tuscan Sun
Int the movie, Frances quits her job as a prominent book editor as her marriage ends. When her friends send her on a tour of Tuscany, she impulsively buys an old house in Cortona that is charming, but needs a lot of work. As she rebuilds the house with a crew of people she discovered more of herself and starts to see the joys of life again. Meeting a lady named Katherine (Lindsay Duncan) changes her perspective as well as Katherine takes to heart the scenes of “La Dolce Vita” due to having met Federico Fellini as a young girl while eating ice cream and finds joy in the magical moments of the day. While re-enacting the scene of Sylvia in the fountain from “La Dolce Vita” Katherine quotes “There’s nothing like a fountain and a magnum of French champagne to put you right again.”
Along the way Frances makes new friends and finds her passion for cooking and sharing meals with people. She also finds a little romance with Marcello (Raoul Bova) in the scenic coastal town of Positano. We just love watching the various foods she cooks and how her culinary skills grow with each meal. We can just picture Frances making a vibrant Brushetta in her villa’s kitchen or serving a light pasta for lunch outside in her spectacular gardens under the shade of cypress trees.
This is a truly lovely movie that will make you laugh, sometimes even cry, and admire the strength of one determined lady as she builds a new life in beautiful surroundings. Under the Tuscan Sun is a real feast for the eyes and worth watching.
Starring: Diane Lane, Sandra Oh, Lindsay Duncan, Kate Walsh, Vincent Riotta, David Sutcliffe, and Raoul Bova
Director: Audrey Wells
Genre: Romance, Drama, Romantic Comedy
Rated: PG-13
