Under the Tuscan Sun

I watched Diane Lane in Paris Can Wait and decided to re-watch Under the Tuscan Sun. Checking, I watched it in the theater and on DVD. This was around twenty years ago so it is not surprising that it slipped my mind. 

The film is loosely based on fact. Diane Lane and a lot of scenery help make the movie enjoyable.

Audrey Wells wrote, directed, and produced the film. Wells also wrote and produced The Truth About Cats & Dogs, which I enjoyed. She has an impressive resume, passing away at age 58 in 2018. 

Wells also gave a charming (love her voice) commentary, which I listened to while watching the movie with subtitles. She does not talk so much that you miss much of the film except the dialogue at the very beginning. Her obit notes:

She also wrote and directed “Under the Tuscan Sun,” the 2003 movie based on the book by Frances Mayes, about a recently divorced woman who starts over in Italy. Even while making a seemingly feel-good movie, Ms. Wells infused it with her values, Ms. Jacobson said.

She wrote The Hate U Give, based on a critically acclaimed young adult novel about a black teenager. Wells is white so perhaps is a bit surprising choice. Nonetheless, her script was well-praised. She died a day before the film was released.  

I enjoyed the film once again. The mixture of commentary and movie went along very well. The film, as she basically granted, is something of a fantasy. But, we care about the characters, and how can Tuscany and Italy as a whole not impress? 

The DVD has a commentary track, a few deleted scenes, and a short "making of" segment.