Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)

Under the Tuscan Sun is a film about redemption, the story of one woman's attempt to craft a new life out of the shattered remains of an old one. Frances (Diane Lane) has it all. Great writing career. Nice house. Adoring husband. Wait a sec. Scratch that last one. Husband's not quite so adoring. He's seeing another woman. He wants a divorce. He wants the nice house too, and he gets it. Frances' life begins spiralling downward, until her lesbian friend Pati (Sandra Oh) gives her an all expense paid tour of Italy. It's a gay and lesbian tour. Lucky Frances. She goes anyway, just to get away from her depressing apartment. While there, she sees an aged villa, soaking in the Tuscan sun, with FOR SALE sign out front. Something about the villa strikes her. Maybe it's the way the sunlight seems so golden there. Maybe it's the olive trees. Who knows? Anyway, she orders the bus to stop, gets off, and buys the villa. Thus begins her new life in Italy. She starts renovating the crumbling villa with the aid of a local builder, Nino (Massimo Sarchielli), and three Polish immigrants: Zbignew (Sasa Vulicevic), Jersey (Valentine Pelka), and Pawel (Pawel Szajda). While the construction progresses, Frances searches for love. First she explores the notion with her realtor, Martini (Vincente Riotta), but he's in love with his wife. Then she has a wild fling with Marcello (Raoul Bova), something of a playboy and a ladies man. That doesn't work out too well either. While this is going on, Pati shows up on her doorstep eight months pregnant and deserted by her partner. Frances also plays matchmaker for the young Pawel and Nino's daughter, Chiara (Giulia Steigerwalt). All along she gets advice on loving and living from Katherine (Lindsey Duncan), a former actress and protegee of Fellini. Eventually, the house is finished, Pati's baby is born, Pawel and Chiara get married, and Frances has become a part of the village, deeply involved with the lives of the people she's come to call her friends. In the end, she too will find love, but only when she stops looking for it. When she waits for it to find her. It always does, doesn't it?

Audrey Wells' Under the Tuscan Sun, is a gorgeous, romantic movie that's just plain fun to watch. The scenery is breathtaking and the cinematography takes full advantage of it. Each and every scene is played out against the stunning backdrop of the Tuscan countryside and the coast of Amalfi. Watching this movie will make you dream of Italy, the hot sun beating down on the golden hills, the dark cypresses standing like sentinels over the villas and villages, the ancient churches, the collision of old world and post modern. It's all here as a cyclorama to the touching story of one lonely woman searching for meaning in her life. And then there's the food. Under the Tuscan Sun loves Italian cuisine the way that Chocolat loved, well, chocolate. And the acting is superb. The film is filled with wonderful characters, from the jittery Jersy to the kind-hearted Martini to the vivacious Katherine, with her joie de vie and her stream of lovers. Oh! But this is a delicious film, and one that slipped by most viewers at multiplexes. Under the Tuscan Sun is a quiet movie about slowing down and engaging with the people and the world around you. You cannot help but be happy as you watch life and love unfold before your eyes under the Tuscan sun. I'm betting you'll wanna be there too.

Under the Tuscan Sun is rated PG-13 and is filmed in glorious color to bring to life the Italian countryside.

Chocolat (2000)

One blustery winter's day, Vianne (Julitte Binoche) and her daughter Anouk (Victoire Thivisol) drift into Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, a conservative, provincial, French village that believes, above all else, in tranquility. Or so it would seem. When Vianne opens a chocolate shop just before lent, the allure of delectable treats proves too great a temptation for the townsfolk. But Vianne's chocolate does more than simply taste good. It opens the eyes of the town folk to the possibilities that have been waiting for them all of their lives, it ignites passions, it loosens inhibitions, it breaks down barriers. And Vianne dispenses counsel with her chocolate as well, helping people to see how their lives could be different if they'd only let go of their prejudices. When the summer wind brings a bunch of river Gypsies to the town, things really get going. Vianne falls in love with Roux (Johnny Depp), the leader of the Gypsies. The Mayor (Alfed Molina) vows to rid his town of both the Gypsies and Vianne. Meanwhile, Vianne has taken in Jospehine (Lena Olin), the abused wife of the local tavern owner, Serge (Peter Stormare). The Mayor, having learned of Serge's abuse, attempts to reform him, but to no avail. Serge first attempts to drag Josephine home by force and is beaten senseless by Josphine and Vianne. Then he sets fire to the Gypsies' boats while Josephine is asleep on them. As all of this is taking place, Vianne is busy making chocolate, playing matchmaker, reuniting young Luc (Aurelien Parent Koenig) with his grandmother Armand (Judy Dench), and generally upsetting the oppressive conventionality of the little town.

Lasse Hallström's Chocolat is one of my all-time favorite movies. It ranks right up there with Casablanca in my book. It's one of those films you can watch again and again, and never tire of it. Shot on location in the village of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain in Burgundy and on the Rue De L'ancienne Poste in Beynac-et-Cazenac on the Dordogne River in Dordogne, France, Chocolat is a visual feast, as well as a delightful and heart-warming story. Alfred Molina is perfect as the tyrannical Mayor trying to drive out the irrepressable Vianne, and Peter Stormare portrays the cruel and abusive Serge as such a weak man that we almost feel sorry for him when he gets his just deserts. And Johnny Depp? Well, he plays Johnny Depp, with an attempted Irish accent that he should have left at home. The music, much of it based on tunes by the French Gypsy Django Reinhardt, perfectly captures the feeling of 1950's France, helping to transport us into the the time and the place. And the narration by Tatyana Yassukovich lends a magical, fairy-tale quality to the film, which leaves us believing that, at least for some people, happily ever after might not be an impossible idea.

Chocolat is rated PG-13.