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It's a story about how people who want things badly rush themselves into experiences that are worse than their previous ones. It's a good movie with several deep messages. The movie also has a certain atmosphere that makes you feel as if you are in Tuscan on a trip yourself. I have to disagree with the view that says you need to be in love to enjoy the movie. All what you need is some depth and you will definitely relate to the protagonist. She happens to be healing from a failing marriage but you can relate to her story if you are dealing with any kind of problems in your life.

There is one specific part of the movie which I truly like is the one where she defends the love story of a young couple though she was hurt. This shows that even though she failed she didn't cease to believe in love. She succeeded in going out of the egocentricity of a person who usually hates good for people if his life is not working successfully.

Poet and writer Frances Mayes became a household name when in 1996 she published "Under the Tuscan Sun", a book where she detailed how she and her new lover bought and renovated an abandoned villa in Tuscany, Italy. With her stylish prose, she made the book something more than a mere diary of the renovation and turned into a captivating chronicle of her trips through Italy and her familiarization with the country's rich culture. The book's detailed account of Mayes' trips attracted director Audrey Wells, who used the book's story of the renovation of an Italian villa as a basis for this charming romantic comedy set in Tuscany and starring Diane Lane.

Frances (Diane Lane) is a writer in her mid-30s currently suffering writer's block, but this is the lesser of her problems, as her husband suddenly decides to divorce her and as a result of legal issues, he keeps their house. Without a place to call home, Frances enters a state of depression, but her friend Patti (Sandra Oh) has a solution. Since Patti (who is a lesbian) has become pregnant, she and her partner offer Frances their tickets to Italy and convince her to take a holiday. While traveling through Tuscanny with the tour, Frances finds an abandoned villa for sale, and impulsively (and thanks to a series of consequences), she decides to buy it. "Under the Tuscan Sun" details France's efforts to renovate the villa and her life at the same time, as well as her encounters with many interesting characters from the beautiful Italian region.

Well, it is safe to point out that other than the tale of the renovation of an old house, Audrey Well's adaptation of the story has little to no resemblance to the book's plot. However, the way Wells mixes Mayes' Italian adventure with her character's own tribulations is almost perfect. True, the movie's plot is a bit typical and filled with some of the most common clichés in the romantic comedy genre, but it also offers some really nice (and unexpected) twists to the formula. While not exactly the detailed travelogue that Mayes' book is, this version of "Under the Tuscan Sun" really captures the magic of the Italian region and accurately shows off bits of the country's culture despite the funny use of classic stereotypes.

Director Audrey Wells takes a straight forward approach to her story, but wisely, takes full advantage of the location's awesome landscapes and the enormous talent of cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson. Together, Simpson and Wells create beautiful vistas of Italy's famous countryside that often mimic in a cleverly fashion some very well-known paintings of the same locations. The film's cinematography is definitely the movie's main asset, but it's not the only good thing in the film. While in terms of style Wells follows the romantic comedy formula somewhat to the letter, the movie is filled with a very human touch that most movies of this genre lack.

Diane Lane is simply perfect as the movie's main character, as while the role may be a bit typical, she truly added her talents to the part and made Frances a very real and likable woman. Sandra Oh is good as Frances' best friend Patti, although really less convincing than Lane. Vincent Riotta is the film's highlight, as the helpful Mr. Martini who also gives two or three lessons to the stranger in a strange land. Lindsay Duncan appears as the strange Katherine, and plays an over-the-top character with dignity and charm. Overall the rest of the cast was very good, with everyone being perfect to the part although nothing really special. By the way, watch out for a small appearance of legendary director Mario Monicelli in a small role.

It's impossible to compare the film to the book as they are both very different beasts, with very little in common; so fans of the book won't find a faithful adaptation despite the gorgeous images of Italy. As a film, "Under the Tuscan Sun" is a very effective melodrama, as while it's certainly sappy and silly at times, it offers a breath of fresh air when compared to other similar films. True, it's story may not be the most original one, but the way it's executed it's strangely charming, as if the beautiful cinematography and witty script were able to cast a magic spell on the viewers and simply captivate with their simple beauty.

It's easy to dismiss "Under the Tuscan Sun" as another silly romantic comedy filled with typical clichés and sappy situations; but while those descriptions often prove true to this film, there is something else, something more that this movie offers that makes it special, and a truly different experience to those used to watch the same plots in melodramas over and over. "Under the Tuscan Sun" may not be true to its source book, but it uses it cleverly to tells a really charming story. 7/10

So, I've heard this film got the beating because it wasn't like the book? Ah, well, trust me; I'm a huge book-lover (and Harry Potter fan), so I can say that if I had read the book and was an immense fan, I probably wouldn't have liked the film if it had taken the basis out of the original story. I truly sympathize with those of you who disliked this film because it did not go with the book in some way or another. ;)

Although, since I love writing myself, I have a very wonderful relationship with this film and its delicious scenery, how the characters in it build in confidence, and the whimsical things that seem to be thrown in it artfully. Yes, there are some so-called "cliches", which is a word I hate using. We use that word to describe things that happen every day in our life, things that repeat themselves in storybooks and films and are heard so often that we are likely to vomit with expectancy of it all. But the thing that hit me about this film is that a lot of things happen that you really don't expect. The coming-of-age story has been told for ages, and will be expressed forever, with all its little tidbits of similar goings-on (serious situation happens, main character finds escape, love, broken heart, confusion..etc.). I don't think an entire genre of literature can deny its existence, now, can it? :)

The acting is superb, and it has a lot of light-hearted moments that lift it up. It's basically about accepting yourself before you can truly find "Mr.Right", and realizing that you shouldn't put the blame on yourself for every single thing in your life that happens, and about taking chances because life can have pros and cons. I even think that some men would like it. This film was very inspiring to me, and although I didn't see it in theaters, I left my couch feeling very creative and content, as if I wasn't the only one who got inspiration from the little things life seems to hand out.

I love this movie. I don't care if it was a "chic flick" or what. Whatever, it was so breathtakingly beautiful that anyone should be entranced by it's sheer visual assault on the senses. When you add great performances by a fine cast, and an interesting story, you can't loose. Who wouldn't love to escape for an hour or so to the Italian Sun? Even the ending was realistic.

This is the second movie I've seen lately that took place in a beautiful countryside Italian Villa. The other, "My House in Umbria" was equally eye catching and enjoyable.

But I think I've reached the point of satiation. If I have to see one more movie where the lead actress has nothing to do but make friends, remodel her gorgeous Tuscan Villa, eat gourmet food on her sunny patio in the garden, have no money worries, and not work, I think I might snap. I pray daily that Diane Lane and Maggie Smith will one day be slinging hash in a Barstow truckstop and experience the real world.

In "Under the Tuscan Sun", a recently divorced American writer/critic (Lane) ventures to Italy where she sets about putting the pieces of her shattered life back together in the rustic, bucolic, scenic countryside of Tuscany. Lane registers a fine performance in this lighthearted drama spritzed with humor and romance which is as lovely as it is clumsy. Obvious in its attempts to tug at the heart-strings of romantics with all the expected Italian stereotypes and cliches, this flick received mixed reviews and will resonate most with more mature sentimentalists. Those who enjoy this film may want to check out V. Redgrave in "A Month by the Lake" (1995). (B)

Admittedly, I was surprised. This isn't the type of movie that normally appeals to me, and yet I was really quite taken with it on a number of counts. It could be described as a very gentle movie (even mildly spiritual in some ways) full of sage advice about life and how to handle the disappointments that naturally appear, and - being somewhat stereotypically Italian in its presentation - it has a lot about love and romance and flirtatiousness in it. It even packs a bit of humour. Not a typical guy's movie, but still very pleasant viewing. What I particularly liked was the premise that essentially started the whole thing off. Frances (in a great performance by Diane Lane) discovers that her husband is having an affair, and they end up divorced - and, she being the primary bread winner - he gets the house and alimony. The lesson? When your life falls apart, move on to something completely different and start picking up the pieces. Frances buys a villa in Tuscany and restarts her life, with us watching. Her problems aren't solved. She seems to think that everything revolves around finding a man and romance, but - as her friend Martini points out near the end of the movie - she ends up with everything she wanted - just not in the way she expected to get it.

At times, it's a bit slow-paced, and it's not "exciting" in the way we think of the word, but it's got a quality that draws you into it. As far as the story is concerned, my only quibble might be the introduction of the character of "Ed" right at the end of the movie. Everything to that point had led to the understanding that Frances didn't need romance to be fulfilled; she had found her fulfillment with the people she had assembled around her, who had become a surrogate family. I suppose it's nice that she found someone to love, but the movie on the whole would have been more satisfying if it had ended with the gathering at the dinner table with all her friends - without Ed! That was an unsatisfying intrusion into an otherwise satisfying story. 7/10

"Under the Tuscan Sun" is a polarizing film that seems to leave viewers (and critics) either in love with a story of growth and renewal or dismissive of its line. I'm firmly in the former camp.

Based so loosely on Frances Mayes's own account of her regeneration in beautiful Italy as to carry an end credit pronouncing that substantial fictionalization replaced key true details, writer and director Audrey Wells crafted a stunning vehicle for Diane Lane whose radiance projects from the screen powerfully. And in every scene.

Diane Lane, as the changed-from-the-memoir Frances, abandons San Francisco after her never shown cad husband divorces her, getting the house she once loved. Frances is a writer and literary critic. Why does she leave S.F.? Two of her closest friends give her a ticket for a gay bus tour of Italy and she jumps off the bus to look into a ramshackle old country house up for sale. Impetuosity? Definitely. Believable? Yes, actually.

Frances' new house isn't a handyman's special, it's a contractor's assurance of food on the table for a very long time. Frances adapts to the house and the locals with remarkable aplomb. Tuscany is sunny but its light fades before Frances's challenged but resilient commitment to not just restore a house but to create a home. The two aren't the same. I'm not sure how many male directors could so well create that reality.

Director Wells tells the story from a woman's heart but with a breadth of humor and drama that should appeal to anyone who wants to believe, or needs to hope, that there really is a light at the end of the tunnel of marital infidelity and dissolution.

Supporting Diane Lane is Sandra Oh as Patti, her closest friend. In relatively short scenes, Ms. Oh displays a lively and laconic grasp not only of her friend's life but also of her own which is not, as they say today, devoid of "issues."

Lindsay Duncan is Katharine, an older woman determined to hold on to her now fading attractiveness through a blend of humor, earthiness - and alcohol. Her character may be predictable but she's also fun.

Raoul Bova has garnered some press attention as handsome Marcello, the romantically available and affluent Italian. That's a character we've seen in many, many films and Bova delivers an expectedly satisfactory but hardly deep performance.

Yes, Diane Lane is beautiful but there is much more to her acting than a shining appearance. Her facial gestures, mirroring her emotions as they shift from moment to moment, are the product of extraordinary acting ability. And her character draws a powerful portrayal.

Credit also must go to cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson. Perhaps it would be impossible for a blind camera director to turn in anything but a gorgeous visage of rural and urban Italy but Simpson did do a marvelous job of making the locales come alive.

This is a film for adults, for people who can understand pain and the search for recovery and understand the difficulty of coming back from a space that once offered the mirage of safety and security.

I loved this film.

9/10.

Something very strange happened on the way to make this film. It appears as though director and adapter, Audrey Wells, threw the original text away only to create her own trip to Tuscany. With the help of her gorgeous star, Ms. Wells found backing for this pastiche she ended up presenting to us, which bears almost no resemblance to the original book by Frances Mayes.

This is a movie full of cliches: The lonely and naive American tourist that would stay in Italy, the Latin lover, the good lesbian friend, and last, but not least, the eccentric Brit living in the small town!

The best thing this film offers is the radiant Diane Lane, who is just gorgeous enough to make us forget the story and what is she doing in the mess she is in. Also, Lindsay Duncan, another great British actress doing a crude interpretation of her own "La Dolce Vita" some 44 years later.

This is a typical "date film" which will be enjoyed by those people that didn't read the book.

Whenever I am feeling down, this is one of the movies that I turn to. Besides being a big fan of the beautiful and talented Diane Lane. I absolutely adore Under The Tuscan Sun.

Diane plays Frances. A book reviewer/editor who finds out through a disgruntled author that her husband is cheating on her. Her bestfriend is expecting a baby and can no longer go on a trip to Italy so they offer it to Frances, she accepts and off she goes.

There she falls in love with a beautiful villa in Tuscany and so it goes.

The scenery is stunning, and you can't help but feel a ping of jealousy even if it just a movie.

Diane Lane is as gorgeous as ever, endearing, romantic and funny.

I would highly recommend this as a beautiful escape for anyone.

When the American writer and critic Francesca (Diane Lane) divorces from her husband, she becomes very depressed. Meanwhile, her lesbian friend Patti (Sandra Oh) gets pregnant and Patti and her mate decide to give their travel to Tuscan in a gay tour as a gift to Frances, to lift her moral. Once in Italy, Frances decides to spend all her savings, buying an old villa in an impulsive decision. While reforming the place, Frances finds wonderful places, friendship with the locals and love. "Under the Tuscan Sun" is a delightful romance, with a tour through the wonders of Italy and a great homage to the Italian cinema, with a reference to "La Dolce Vita" and a minor participation of Mario Monicelli. Diane Lane looks like wine, becoming more gorgeous along the years, and with a lovely face and smile. I have never had the chance to visit Italy, and after seeing the magnificent locations and the nice people of Italy, I believe most of the viewers will have the feeling of expecting to have a chance to visit such a marvelous place. I really liked this enjoyable film. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sob o Sol da Toscana" ("Under the Tuscan Sun")

OK, first of all a heads up... I'm a British man of 56, having just watched this on the TV on a lazy Sunday afternoon, when I could of been catching up with Glastonbury or the football (Euro 2016). Not, I guess, the target audience.

Well, as I sat there on the sofa with my cuppa, enjoying the scenery, and this striking lady who I hadn't seen before, (trust me, I know Diane now, and have a list of her films to watch), I just became entranced.

I know I'm being manipulated, the mass of stereotypes, the fact (unlike most of us) she can just cash buy a villa on a whim, BUT, I gave in and went for the ride, and it couldn't of been better. I didn't want it to end, the feel good, the decent people, the Tuscan sun! Add in fellow Brit Lindsay Duncan's great performance, the ensemble cast, and you have a joy to watch which surely will make anyone feel better.

If Meredith and Christina had their own movie and if it was in Tuscany.

This would be that movie.

I've just seen this film, and I've never laughed so much in my life! First of all I'm Italian and most importantly I live in Tuscany..... The things that happen in this film don't happen in real Italian life. Let's start: Italy is a bureaucratic nightmare, so if she(Frances) wanted to buy and live here she must wait months and months before she gets the house. In the village where she lives there are a lot of Italian stereotypes that you'll never find in Italy. In Italy, especially in small towns people speak bad Italian and mostly in dialect (even if you knew a little Italian you probably wouldn't understand)let alone speak English. The polish are quite uncommon in Italy, there are a lot of Moroccans and Albanians. Even if middle Italian beauty is higher than other countries,finding men like Raul Bova(Marcello) in the street is rare. The man that puts flowers in the vase everyday, in real life at the end of the film instead of saying hello,would have put his middle finger up ( in a rude gesture). Hardly anybody has fresco's in their home. The wedding dress the young girl wears looks as if its fifty years old. If you go in a fountain, the police would arrest you.....DON'T DO THAT IF YOU COME HERE!!!! If you ask a policeman for a lift(even if you are Naomi Campbell) he won't. In Florence hospitals you'll never find Armani or Vesace covers.

I've found a few truths as well: The old ladies usually are quite funny. The explanation that Chiara's mother gave about marriage is realistic. The young guys of Rome are like that. The man who continually says YES and OK. The explanation of Marcello about traffic lights in Campania is true. The big meals.

The good of this film is that it brings lots of tourists here.

This movie is wonderfully romantic. It is sweetly written and just a good girl movie. Any woman who has had any sadness in her life and needs a new start will appreciate this movie. The views are incredibly and makes you want to fly to Tuscany and live there forever! The characters are those that make you fall in love and you will relive moments in your life while watching this movie. I will say you need to be in a loving or romantic mood before watching this movie. It does take a few minutes to really get good but when it does, it's wonderful. I hope you enjoy as much as I did. A Walk in the Clouds with Keanu Reeves is also like this movie. It has the same romance and drama but is much sweeter.

This movie is my all time favorite. Diane Lane is amazing in this movie. Going from a divorceé to happy in life, that's an amazing dream to have. I hope one to visit Tuscany. Absolutely beautiful!

Audrey Wells' "Under the Tuscan Sun" is generally not the type of film I look forward to. Even your average, forgettable romantic-comedy is filled with sappy, melodramatic overtones and over the top acting from Hollywood's best (paid) and brightest (jewelry). But from the previews you could tell that this film wanted to be more.

The story, alone, is different from most simple dating flicks. A middle-aged author (Diane Lane) ventures to Italy after a messy divorce and a creative drought. There she hopes to rekindle her life and hopefully her passions.

As one would assume, she is met with culture shock. She doesn't know the language or the customs. Though there is distinguished beauty to the land, there are also torrential thunderstorms and a visiting owl perched on her nightstand. Not what she is used to from her native San Francisco. The people seem friendly enough, but they are all driven by a perceived universal understanding that she does not share.

The villa she purchases is indeed beautiful, but it is also old and in need of repair - much like herself. She begins renovating the house and the plaster and rock become a metaphor for her own growth in the new region.

Much of what I have described seems like items we have experienced before in movies. And many are. But never do they seem over-used or washed up. Lane brings a melancholy charm to the role that could easily have fallen into emotional wrought or intense bitchiness. Instead, we follow her through Tuscany dreading and cheering her choices; loving and sympathizing with her.

Throughout the film there is a warm, self-deprecating humor that is both funny and human. The supporting characters have fully enriched lives of their own and are not just crutches for the primary plot. Much of the story is about love, wallowing in it, shining in it, wishing for it. But the story descends much deeper into the purpose for one's life and the need for companionship. I was especially impressed with a subverted plot that contrasts uptight American values with those of the laid-back Europeans.

Though some of the story lines are recycled, it is rare that they are presented this well done and with such a genuine feel. There isn't a second of this film I could do without. In many ways, I honestly can say I enjoyed it more than I would like to. A cynic like myself can't be enjoying movies like these too often. **** out of ****

A small declaration of love from the Americans to Italy. A very likeable love story that is particularly suitable for older viewers - younger people will find it difficult to relate to the tragedy of our main character. In any case, the film is absolutely worth seeing, but more because of its fantastic pictures, the happy atmosphere in which our main character immerses and wonderful Italy itself. An ode to Italy.