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Movies / On DVD / Under the Tuscan Sun
Under the Tuscan Sun

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Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)

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Reviews Counted:141

Fresh:87

Rotten:54

Average Rating:6.2/10

Consensus: Though formulaic and superficial, Under the Tuscan Sun is redeemed by Lane's vibrant performance.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for sexual content and language

Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Sep 26, 2003 Wide

Box Office: $43,452,354

Synopsis: Who hasn't dreamed at least once of running off to a foreign country and starting a new life? That's exactly what Frances (Diane Lane) does in UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, directed by Audrey Wells... Who hasn't dreamed at least once of running off to a foreign country and starting a new life? That's exactly what Frances (Diane Lane) does in UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, directed by Audrey Wells (GUINEVERE). Traveling in Tuscany after a heart-wrenching divorce, Frances surprises herself by making an offer on a rundown villa--the biggest impulse purchase of her life. With the help of a warmhearted, smitten real estate agent and a local contractor with a team of Polish workers, her 300-year-old house is slowly transformed into a home. Along the way, she encounters a larger-than-life British ex-patriot, kind and generous neighbors, and a charming Italian man or two. Essentially, the film is an affirmation that good things can happen if one lets them--and that sometimes what seems like a terrible mistake or a crazy idea is a really a blessing. Lane is completely engaging as Frances, second-guessing her speedy purchase, looking for love, and rediscovering herself. Based on the book by Frances Mayes, the film was shot on location in Rome, Florence, Positano, and Cortona in Italy. The breathtaking scenery is sure to have viewers saving their pennies for next year's vacation--or their Tuscan dream house. [More]

Starring: Diane Lane, Lindsay Duncan, Sandra Oh, Raoul Bova

Starring: Diane Lane, Lindsay Duncan, Sandra Oh, Raoul Bova, Vincent Riotta

Director: Audrey Wells

Director: Audrey Wells
Screenwriter: Audrey Wells
Producer: Tom Sternberg, Audrey Wells
Composer: Christophe Beck
Studio: Touchstone Pictures

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Release:

Feb 3, 2004

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Under The Tuscan Sun
  • From the studio that brought you SWEET HOME ALABAMA comes the extraordinary romantic comedy starring Academy Award(R) nominee Diane Lane (2002 Best Actress, UNFAITHFUL). Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book, UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN follows San Francisco writer Frances Mayes (Lane) to Italy as a good friend offers her a special gift -- 10 days in Tuscany. Once there, she is captivated by its beauty and warmth, and impulsively buys an aging, but very charming, villa. Fully embracing new friends and local color, she finds herself immersed in a life-changing adventure filled with enough unexpected surprises, laughter, friendship, and romance to restore her new home -- and her belief in second chances.
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Under the Tuscan Sun

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    1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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    a romantic abomination wherein the main character's best friend is a pregnant Asian lesbian who comes to Italy to visit and ends up ruining the story's only semi-romantic aspect, and extends its painful length for an extra half-hour in the process.

    Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment 1 Comment
    06/13/09
    Cole Smithey
    Cole Smithey
    ColeSmithey.com

    A fun movie to sit through even when you don't always buy it.

    Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
    09/25/03
    USA Today

    Be ready to book a flight to Europe after the flick -- or at least spring for some good Chianti.

    Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    E! Online

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
    09/27/03
    Hollywood.com
    N/R

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    Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
    09/27/03
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
    09/28/03
    Boston Phoenix

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Sunday Times (Australia) | comment Comment
    02/16/04
    Sunday Times (Australia)
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
    04/09/04
    Guardian [UK]

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    08/14/04
    Film Threat

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    12/06/05
    Film Threat

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
    04/01/06
    Empire Magazine

    It's as scattered as a painting by Jackson Pollock, as forgettable as a mid-season replacement sitcom on UPN, as moving as a boulder, and as predictable as a self-flushing toilet. It's The Lizzie McGuire Movie for middle-aged folk.

    Full Review Source: Juicy Cerebellum | comment Comment
    09/25/03
    Alex Sandell
    Alex Sandell
    Juicy Cerebellum

    compared to Lane, pretty much everything else in this film falls flat

    Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    10/01/03
    Andrea Chase
    Andrea Chase
    Killer Movie Reviews

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Movie Gazette | comment Comment
    03/16/04
    Anton Bitel
    Anton Bitel
    Movie Gazette

    With a performance of such depth and beauty it overshadows the film's gorgeous Italian scenery, Diane Lane owns the screen in 'Under the Tuscan Sun.'

    Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    10/05/03
    Betty Jo Tucker
    Betty Jo Tucker
    ReelTalk Movie Reviews

    You won't learn anything about Italian culture that hasn't already reverberated throughout the west

    Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
    03/02/04
    Bill Chambers
    Bill Chambers
    Film Freak Central

    A virtual case study of Hollywood's irrepressible urge to lower the bar in the hopes of upping the take.

    Full Review Source: Dallas Observer | comment Comment
    09/27/03
    Bill Gallo
    Bill Gallo
    Dallas Observer

    Despite its overly pat plot and a glaring lack of conflict, Lane pretty much saves the movie.

    Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
    09/25/03
    Bill Muller
    Bill Muller
    Arizona Republic
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Alternately helped, hindered and (best) left alone by first-time director Wells, Lane fills the screen with her perceptive presence and lifts the undramatic story as high as gravity allows.

    Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    Bob Campbell
    Bob Campbell
    Newark Star-Ledger
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Makes for an eye-pleasing travelogue -- which is at least half the battle won for a project like this -- and our on-screen tour guide could not be more beguiling.

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    Bob Strauss
    Bob Strauss
    Los Angeles Daily News
     
     
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    Latest News for Under the Tuscan Sun

    July 28, 2005: RT Critical Consensus: "Sky High" Soars, "Stealth" Crashes, and Diane Lane and John Cusack Go Dateless
    The willing suspension of disbelief is often essential to the moviegoing experience. This week's wide releases provide no such relief. We will be asked to believe that a fighter... More...

    March 11, 2005: Audrey Wells to do Some Rearranging Over at Touchstone
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