Aspiring writer Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) and her fiancé go to Verona for a pre-wedding/business trip, but he's obsessed with work and leaves poor Sophie to sightsee alone. She visits Juliet's famous house, where for generations lovelorn women have left letters asking for advice in Juliet's brick wall. The locals who answer the letters on Juliet's behalf invite Sophie to join them and her response to a 50-year old letter will change several lives forever.
This has all the makings of a charming chick flick, telling an idealistic love story in a stunningly beautiful place. Verona and the Tuscan countryside are so gorgeous, I was ready to pack my bags and go. Seyfried makes a likable enough heroine but she's paired with wooden Christopher Eagan who lacks depth, looks too young, and is a total cheeseball. The two share no romantic sparks whatsoever.
The movie is saved by Vanessa Redgrave as the woman who wrote the letter decades ago. She's classy, confidant, and doesn't look like she's acting. Her reunited lost love is played perfectly by Franco Nero who commands the screen even though his part is small. (Their obvious chemistry is for real; they were in love in the sixties, parted, and only recently reunited and married - what a good plot for a movie!)
It's a shame the story has such a Disneyish fairy tale-feel to it. One knows immediately everything that will happen and how it will end. It was too unbelievable and silly for me, although I think younger people would like it. Recommended for those who love picturesque Italy.
This has all the makings of a charming chick flick, telling an idealistic love story in a stunningly beautiful place. Verona and the Tuscan countryside are so gorgeous, I was ready to pack my bags and go. Seyfried makes a likable enough heroine but she's paired with wooden Christopher Eagan who lacks depth, looks too young, and is a total cheeseball. The two share no romantic sparks whatsoever.
The movie is saved by Vanessa Redgrave as the woman who wrote the letter decades ago. She's classy, confidant, and doesn't look like she's acting. Her reunited lost love is played perfectly by Franco Nero who commands the screen even though his part is small. (Their obvious chemistry is for real; they were in love in the sixties, parted, and only recently reunited and married - what a good plot for a movie!)
It's a shame the story has such a Disneyish fairy tale-feel to it. One knows immediately everything that will happen and how it will end. It was too unbelievable and silly for me, although I think younger people would like it. Recommended for those who love picturesque Italy.