Sounded good but was dissapointing.

Brolinjdevine,

I do feel indebted to this movie for the effort its creators went to make it beautiful. And beautiful it is. However, since I've only seen a rented copy, I cannot do its review justice, so I'm only posting a very paltry version here:

"The first in a spate of brand-new Joshua Jackson-showcasers, this luscious indie is a gentle reminder of what life is supposed to be about.

Set in beautiful Tuscany once Jeremy leaves the London rat-race, the movie gently leads us on one young man's voyage of self-discovery.

He finds that 20yrs can corrode any great novelist's soul, especially if he's harbouring fear of his talents. It turns out young talents suffer much the same fate, and the fatherly bond that develops between Weldon and Jeremy clearly benefit both, as generational—and romantic—renewal sparks between his protege and the novelist’s eldest daughter.

This satisfying romance-drama features leading-man Jackson with the never-more-beautiful Claire Forlani, who was almost certainly cast for her lips.

Sadly, their chemistry struck me as a little belaboured, for once--surprisingly UNLIKE JJ's usual modus operandi; but the movie is worth it for some ultra-romantic Elvis (an ‘It’s Now or Never’ fantasy-vignette) plus Dino's old-school 'Sway', alone. Josh does a passable, if tutored, er, whatisit - a slow tango?, despite recent reports that he's just "a white man who can't dance"...

My only caveat would be its appeal to the feminine mystique. In today's postmodernist, fast-moving society, it's a bitova tough sell. Otherwise, if you don't expect the movie to be more than pure-hearted and straightforward, its clear wisdoms and old-world charm will enchant you.

An hour-and-a-half of gentle escapism; and more magical and pure than Russell Crowe (and Ridley Scott!)’s upcoming A Good Year(2006) http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0401445/ !"

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I'll write a proper review later, once I have a private copy, but in the meantime, here is a cheeky take on the joys of Italy: http://www.zippyvideos.com/1720656996311876/italiantime/. :)

Cheers all,

Lizziebeth-1
Sydney, Australia

“Open the pod bay doors, Hal!” - Per ardua ad astra

If this film did not reach you, I am sorry for you. A little wish fulfilment and make believe does wonders in coping with the vagaries of life. Of course you have to be capable of a little suspension of belief - and acceptance of love stories

- be they between people

- or between a person and the land that surrounds and embraces her or him.

I do hope one day you find a little magic and wish fulfilment - like chocolate for the mind.

I think the actors did well for what the film was - and was not,

- in not trying to be more than what it was.

I will be buying a copy of the DVD for my family's film collection.

Highly recommended.

Greyollie
Australia.

I'm with you brolinjdevine.

Way way too much cliche.

"Disappointing" is and understatement, it was truely dreadful.

I thought it was truly luscious and satisfying. So much so, that I have found myself here, sourcing other works from the creator of this inspiring film.

I agree, it was a disappointment, so much of a disappointment that i decided to write here in the forum which i generally don't do ))
I don't think that the acting was poor though, they did what they could with the disastrous script they had! Overall it gave me an impression of a very, no, extremely "cheap" movie.

I found it hard to sit through. It was a little corny and long winded. Although, Harvey Keitel is always good and so is Giancarlo, Joshua Jackson was very flat and his Canadian accent just hit all the wrong notes. I'm Canadian, but some accents just sound bad and unfortunately, Joshua's accent just fell flat for me.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way.

You are so right. It was a bunch of garbage. Even Harvey Keitel phoned in a hammy performance. The ONLY thing good about this mess was the scenery and it wasn't worth the time. I want my two hours back!!!!