Under the Tuscan Sun

Last night, I was tired and had a headache, so I decided to finally rent the video Under the Tuscan Sun, starring Diane Lane. The movie has some good points and a few bad points. At certain points in the film, the acting wasn’t very good, but I think it was that Lane missed her timing. The whole film seemed to be a bit melodramatic about divorce, but I guess I can’t judge that, not having been through one.

But there was a lot to like in this film, such as the sumptuous scenery (does the real Tuscany look like that, with the perfectly cone-like trees, etc.????) and, more importantly, the relationships with Lane’s character has with the supporting characters. Spoiler alert: don’t read any further if you don’t want to know the end of the movie!!! All through the movie, Lane is looking for love – and finds it right under her nose. I really appreciate that despite the Hollywood culture that continually glorifies romantic love as the magic bullet and the pinnacle of human experience, in the end Lane’s character finds that her heart’s desires can be met through other relationships.

After watching this film, I became determined again to save up my money for a trip to Europe – maybe a three-week tour of France, Spain, and Italy to start. I have to see these places for myself!!! Time to dust off my audio lessons for French, Spanish, and Italian! :->

C.