In many ways Under The Tuscan Sun seems to be a kinder and gentler version of The Roman Spring Of Mrs. Stone. Both deal with female protagonists who have lost their husbands and seemingly a reason for existence as both had much maybe too much invested in their marriages.

Unlike Vivien Leigh's film where her husband dies leaving her a wealthy widow who can now indulge in hedonism, Diane Lane was a successful author who supported her husband who was struggling as a writer and she catches him with another woman. He demands and gets the alimony.

So disgusted is she that she takes off for Italy on a gay tour at the behest of her lesbian friend Margaret Oh who gives up her and her partner's ticket for one first class for Lane because she badly needs R&R. That's a friend, no one ever did that for me. The theory being that on a gay tour she can think without being hit on as a ready to rebound divorcée.

Passing through Tuscany she spots a villa being sold dirt cheap by American prices and impulsively buys it. After that comes a few heartaches, but gradually Lane's back in the swing of things Italian style as it were.

I did love the nicely photographed scenes of Italy showing the daily life there. Lane really dominates the film and though she's sadder and wiser she's not caught up in a meaningless and hedonistic existence as Vivien Leigh was. And Margaret Oh has a lot of wisdom in her and she will be one you remember.

For sadder and wiser romantics Under The Tuscan Sun is cheerfully recommended.

Frances (Diane Lane) works hard to support his writer husband. So when his husband finally finishes his book, she is surprised to be cleaned out in a divorce from his cheating husband. I don't know why she doesn't get half his book. But while he gets to live in their old house with his new girlfriend, she gets to rent a tiny apartment in a divorcées complex. When her best friend Patti (Sandra Oh) has unusable tickets to a gay tour to Tuscany, she insists that Frances go to renew her life. Only she decides to buy an old house there.

Diane Lane is lovely. I guess it's a single girl fantasy to run away to Italy. She has some wacky fun renovating the house. Then midway thru there is an Italian guy. It's done in a totally different style. I feared that it was turning into a more by the book rom-com. Then the guy goes away for awhile. Sandra Oh comes back into the movie. The tone goes much lighter with Sandra making a couple of jokes. There is a young couple that injects some energy. Diane Lane makes this fantasy good. The film could be a self-indulgent mess without her. I really feel for her. That's all due to Diane Lane. It does turn sad as nothing works out. But we recover for our happy sappy ending.

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.