Under the Tuscan Sun (film)
Under the Tuscan Sun | |
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Directed by | Audrey Wells |
Screenplay by | Audrey Wells |
Story by | Audrey Wells |
Based on | Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Geoffrey Simpson |
Edited by |
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Music by | Christophe Beck |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
Release date |
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Running time | 113 minutes |
Country | United States |
Languages | |
Budget | $18 million[2] |
Box office | $58.9 million[2] |
Under the Tuscan Sun is a 2003 American
Plot
Frances Mayes is a San Francisco writer whose seemingly perfect life takes an unexpected turn when she learns that her husband has been cheating on her. The husband, who had been working on his writing and had no income, ironically, was allowed to petition for alimony. As a one-time settlement, however, the agreement was for Frances to quit claim her 1/2 ownership of the home. The divorce—and the loss of her house to her ex-husband and his much-younger, pregnant new partner—leaves her depressed and unable to write. Her best friend Patti, who is expecting a child with her girlfriend Grace, is worried that Frances might never recover from the traumatic divorce. She urges Frances to take an Italian vacation to Tuscany using the ticket she purchased before she became pregnant. At first, Frances refuses, but after another depressing day in her gloomy temporary apartment, she decides that it's a good idea to get away for a while.
In Tuscany, her tour group stops in the small town of Cortona. After wandering through the charming streets, she notices a posting for a villa for sale in Cortona. She rejoins her tour group on the bus, and just outside town, the bus stops to allow a flock of sheep to cross the road. While they wait, Frances realizes that they've stopped directly in front of the very villa that she had seen for sale—something she believes is a sign. She asks the driver to stop, and she gets off the bus. Through a series of serendipitous events, she becomes the owner of a lovely yet dilapidated villa in beautiful Tuscany.
Frances begins her new life with the help of a variety of interesting characters and unusual but gentle souls. She hires a crew of
Frances meets and has a brief romantic affair with Marcello, but their relationship does not last. She is about to give up on happiness when one of her Polish workers, a teenager named Pawel, and a neighbor's young daughter come to her for help. Her father does not approve of him, due to his being Polish and not having a family, yet they are very much in love and want to get married. Frances persuades the girl's family to support their love, by proclaiming that she is Pawel's family, and the young lovers are soon married at the villa. During the wedding celebration, Ed, an American writer appears unexpectedly. The writer, whose novel Frances had previously edited and critiqued harshly, is traveling in Tuscany and heard about her residence there. Their attraction for each other points to a romantic future.
Cast
- Diane Lane as Frances Mayes
- Sandra Oh as Patti
- Lindsay Duncan as Katherine
- Raoul Bova as Marcello
- Vincent Riotta as Martini
- Mario Monicelli as old man with flowers
- Roberto Nobile as Placido
- Anita Zagaria as Fiorella
- Evelina Gori as Nona Cardinale
- Giulia Steigerwalt as Chiara
- Pawel Szajda as Pawel
- Valentine Pelka as Jerzy
- Sasa Vulicevic as Zbigniew
- Massimo Sarchielli as Nino
- Claudia Gerini as Signora Raguzzi
- Laura Pestellini as Contessa
- David Sutcliffe as Ed
- Kate Walshas Grace
- Don McManus as nasty man
- Matt Salinger as colleague
- Elden Henson as author
- Jack Kehler as apartment manager
- Dan Bucatinsky as Rodney
- Kristoffer Winters as David, the tour guide
- Nuccio Siano as Gianni
- Malva Guicheney as Gianni's daughter
- Jeffrey Tambor as lawyer (uncredited)
Production
Development
In November 1998, producer Tom Sternberg was filming the psychological thriller
Filming locations
- Banca CR Firenze, Cortona, Tuscany, Italy (interiors, bank scene)
- Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, Cortona, Tuscany, Italy (real estate transaction scene with a judicial scrivener)
- Teatro Signorelli, Cortona, Italy (movie date with Pawel)
- Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy (bookstore, Patti & Grace's San Francisco apartment)
- Cortona, Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy
- Florence, Tuscany, Italy
- Montepulciano, Siena, Tuscany, Italy (leaving Cortona, wedding)
- Positano, Salerno, Campania, Italy
- Rome, Lazio, Italy
- Borgo De Celli, Umbria, Italy
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy (flag-waving show)[5]
- Teatro Signorelli, Cortona, Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy (interiors)[6]
Reception
Box office
Under the Tuscan Sun grossed $43.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $15.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $58.9 million.[2] In the United States and Canada, the film grossed $9.7 million from 1,226 theaters on its opening weekend, ranking second behind The Rundown.[7][8]
Critical response
The film received mixed reviews from critics, although there was strong praise for Lane's performance. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 62% based on 155 reviews, with an average score of 6.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Though formulaic and superficial, Under the Tuscan Sun is redeemed by Lane's vibrant performance."[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[10]
Mike Clark from
In her review for
Accolades
List of awards and nominations | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | ||
ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards
|
Contemporary Film | Stephen McCabe | Nominated | ||
GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Film – Wide Release | Under the Tuscan Sun | Nominated | ||
Golden Globe Award | Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical | Diane Lane | Nominated | ||
Golden Satellite Award | Best Actress – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | |||
Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards | Best Contemporary Hair Styling - Feature | Candy L. Walken | Nominated |
See also
- Under the Tuscan Sun, the memoir on which the film is based
References
- ^ a b c Dargis, Manohla (September 26, 2002). "Getting a bit burned 'Under the Tuscan Sun'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ "Awards for Under the Tuscan Sun". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Under the Tuscan Sun Production Notes (2003)". Made in Atlantis. Archived from the original on May 9, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ "Locations for Under the Tuscan Sun". Movieloci.com.
- ^ "Locations for Under the Tuscan Sun". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ "Domestic 2003 Weekend 39 (September 26–28, 2003)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- Screen Daily. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
- ^ a b "Under the Tuscan Sun". Rotten Tomatoesaccess-date=March 5, 2019.
- ^ a b "Under the Tuscan Sun". Metacritic. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ LaSalle, Mick (September 26, 2003). "Pursuing happiness in a postcard-pretty Italy". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (September 26, 2003). "Under The Tuscan Sun". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 22, 2024 – via RogerEbert.com.
- Boston Globe. Archived from the originalon July 9, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Clark, Mike (October 22, 2003). "'Tuscan Sun' rightly revolves around Lane". USA Today. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- Seattle Times. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Reed, Red (September 29, 2003). "Sunny Side's Up In Bella Tuscany". The New York Observer. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (September 27, 2003). "Under the Tuscan Sun". Salon.com. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
- ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (March 17, 2020). "Under the Tuscan Sun". Entertainment Weekly.