Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)

Director:

Audrey Wells

Writers (WGA):

Frances Mayes (book)
Audrey Wells (screen story)

Release Date:

26 September 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The Only Thing More Surprising Than The Chance She's Taking...Is Where It's Taking Her

Plot:

While on vacation, a just-divorced writer buys a villa in Tuscany on a whim, hoping it will be the start of a change for the better in her life.

Plot Keywords:

Writer | Love | Villa | Tuscany | Vacation

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 nominations

Cast

Diane Lane	...	Frances
Sandra Oh	...	Patti
Lindsay Duncan	...	Katherine
Raoul Bova	...	Marcello
Vincent Riotta	...	Martini
Mario Monicelli	...	Old Man with Flowers
Roberto Nobile	...	Placido
Anita Zagaria	...	Fiorella
Evelina Gori	...	Nona Cardinale
Giulia Steigerwalt	...	Chiara
Pawel Szajda	...	Pawel
Valentine Pelka	...	Jerzy
Sasa Vulicevic	...	Zbignew
Massimo Sarchielli	...	Nino
Claudia Gerini	...	Signora Raguzzi

Also Known As:

Sotto il sole della Toscana (Italy)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA | Italy

Language:

English | Italian | Polish | French | Spanish | German

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:o.Al. | Italy:T | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:7 | Sweden:Btl | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40079)

Filming Locations:

Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Company:

Blue Gardenia Productions

Trivia:

Writer/director Audrey Wells said that when she was writing the script, the only actress she thought of to play Patti was Sandra Oh. They had worked together on Guinevere (1999). One of Oh's guests on the Italian location was her fiancé Alexander Payne.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Frances returns to Positano to meet with Marcello, she is at sea-level. Most (if not all) busses to Positano come in from the hillside as most of the city is almost vertical along the cliffside. She would not have entered the city from the bottom and then climb, she would have to come in from the top and go down.

Quotes:

Frances: What's your name?
Marcello: Marcello.
Frances: Of course it is.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Aria Il Vecchiotto Cerca Moglie

Blah. Boring and run of the mill.

This is just another one of those "American finds romance with charming foreigner in exotic European locale." This genre has been cinematically bankrupt since the 1950s, yet they continue to churn them out. I let my girlfriend talk me into seeing this - bad idea, we both hated it. If all you want to see is Tuscany, try watching "Stealing Beauty" with Liv Tyler - a marginally better movie.

This types of genre movies are very Hallmark Greeting Card-ish.