 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Under the Tuscan Sun
- Review Date: February 1, 2004
- PG-13
- Genre: Drama
- 2003
Common Sense Media says
Not much for teens in this book adaptation.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this adult story of grown-up entanglements and expectations isn't too likely to engage kids or teens. A few scenes include partial nudity; others depict sexual foreplay, passionate kissing, embracing, and playful post-sexual behavior. Language includes one use of “f--k,” several forms of “s--t,” and a few other words. Not surprisingly for a movie set in Italy, the characters enjoy wine freely (mostly while eating), and background characters occasionally smoke cigarettes. The supporting cast includes a number of gay and lesbian characters, including the main character's best friend. The movie avoids typical Hollywood stereotypes when it comes to these characters.
What's the story?
After her divorce, Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) agrees to take a tour of Tuscany when her best friend Patti (Sandra Oh) buys her a ticket. Frances isn't looking for romantic entanglements. But she ends up with an entanglement of a different kind, impulsively buying an ancient house called Bramasole, which translates into "yearning for the sun." And yes, it is Frances who is yearning for the sun, and yes, the renovation of the house is a metaphor for renovating her spirits. On this emotional journey, she will meet kind souls who will impart life lessons. A free-spirited Englishwoman, a kind local realtor, and three Polish construction workers help her get ready to enter back into life again, and a charming Italian man helps her begin by reminding her that she is capable of loving and being loved. Frances makes a wish for a wedding and a family in the house and when at first it seems that the wedding and the family are not the ones she wished for, she begins to understand that they really are just what she wanted. And she learns that she can help others who yearn for the sun, healing herself at the same time.
Is it any good?
Like the crumbling Italian villa at the center of this story, there is a lot wrong with UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, but it is so enticing -- especially for its intended audience -- that it is hard to resist. The best-selling book by Frances Mayes about her restoration of a crumbling villa is beautifully written and wonderfully evocative, but it does not have much of a story. So writer/director Audrey Wells has taken the real Mayes, and thrown a lot of plot at her.
The problem is that director/screenwriter Wells tells us a lot more than she shows us. She seems to have no understanding of how to translate a story into film. The movie often seems abrupt and unfinished and the characters are superficially drawn. The script tells us how the characters feel about each other but does not make it matter enough for us to believe in or care about the way their relationships are resolved. Lane brings as much to the material as is humanly possible, but is given little to do beyond looking wistful and wounded. But it is all beguilingly pretty to watch and its message of hope and second chances is beguilingly pretty, too.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about all of the advice that Frances gets. What does she learn from it?
How does the movie depict sex? How does that compare to depictions in other movies?
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AGE
a great movie for everyone
I just saw the movie yesterday and it's a wonderful story about love for all ages...its shows the uncertainty of love, the many kinds of love, the emotional torture of love, and yet the continual, no matter how old you are, need for love. It's got characters for every age, it's got humor and views like a travelogue of the beauty of tuscany. Parents should let their teenagers see this to see that love is COMPLICATED, that life has many twists and turns, but that's what life is about. It's got adult subject matter, but if you think your 12 year olds might not be suited for this movie, think about all the junk they see saying sex has no consequences and love is overrated. It's a good family movie that could result in a lot of talk about love, sex and life over pizza after.
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AGE
Just plain hilarious and wonderful
I may be biased because I love Diane Lane movies, but this movie was great. The Tuscan villa is absolutely beautiful at the end and everything just sort of works. As far as romantic comedies go, this one is awesome because it is funny and you feel like you're rooting for Diane Lane's character. Plus, the young Polish builder is incredibly cute.
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AGE
The best traveling movie out there
If you want to see a good traveling movie, check out this one. It's soooo much better than Eat Pray Love and the messages are more positive.
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| Studio: | Touchstone Pictures |
| Director: | Audrey Wells |
| Cast: | Diane Lane, Raoul Bova, Sandra Oh |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 113 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | September 26, 2003 |
| DVD release date: | February 3, 2004 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | sexual content and language |
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