Letters to Juliet [DVD] [2010]

Great value

You can't blame this film for being predictable or cliched: it's what rom-coms are, and after one look at the synopsis, you can easily guess what is going to happen. Amanda Seyfreid plays Sophie, a New York newspaper fact-finder keen to showcase her real talent, writing. She and her chef fiance, Victor, have organised a pre-wedding holiday in Tuscany. The cracks in their relationship are visible early on- her fiance is wrapped up in his own career, isn't really interested in her and sadly neglects her on holiday, leaving her to wander solo around Verona. It is here she discovers what she thinks will make the perfect story for her journalistic debut- the letters to Juliet, written by love-lorn tourists seeking advice from Juliet. Sophie soon learns that a group of local women answer each and every letter, and she discovers a fifty year old letter that has lain unanswered, from a young girl, Claire, who has abandoned her first love, Lorenzo. Sophie decides to reply, hoping her reply reaches Claire. It does, and Claire, now an elegant older woman (played by the divine Vanessa Redgrave), sets out to find Lorenzo with Sophie's help, accompanied by her reluctant and ridiculously priggish but handsome grandson Charlie (Christopher Eagan), who resents what he sees as Sophie's meddling and thinks the whole thing can only end in tears. As they set out to identify Lorenzo from a multitude of namesakes, the animosity between Sophie and Charlie eventually grows to respect and their chemistry is undeniable.So yes, the plot is far-fetched, but it is really lovely escapism, as many of the best rom-coms are. The cinematography is beautiful, as is the scenery. The actors are all good, Seyfreid is sensitive, clever and mature- showing her growing versatility as a serious actress, since her debut in Mean Girls. Eagan as Charlie is engimatic and handsome but there is something slightly amiss about him. To blame for this is his absurdly posh English accent, and some of the cheesy old-fashioned lines he gets. It never ceases to annoy me how American writers assume all English eligible bachelors are 'Hooray Henrys' and talk as though they have a plum in their mouths. I don't know anyone under the age of sixty that uses the prefix 'blasted'- I'm afraid that poor Eagan's part in the dialogue left me slightly cold (despite his devastating looks) and detracted a little from the more real scripting Redgrave and Seyfreid's parts had. Also, I couldn't help but feel that the Claire-Lorenzo plot was neglected in parts and served more to facilitate the Sophie-Charlie romance, but then it wouldn't do for the trio to find Lorenzo too soon in the sotry. These are my onlt criticisms of the film, which in other respects was charming and enjoyable and recommended for a girly night in.

Ordered for a friend who borrowed my dvd, she is delighted with it, fast delivery thank you.

This is a fluffy little chick flick that should work for female audiences of all ages. The letters to Juliet are written by unhappy women with all kinds of problems, who post them on the wall by Juliet's balcony in beautiful Verona. The letters are collected and answered by a group of women, so many agony aunts if you will.Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), a young American, neglected on what is supposed to be a romantic holiday by her egocentric fiance, finds a fifty year old letter from an English girl in a crevice of the wall and writes an answer. Not much later, the English girl - now a grandmother and widowed - arrives in Verona. Enter the utterly delightful Vanessa Redgrave. Accompanied by an unwilling adult grandson, she sets out to find her Italian lover from fifty years ago, whom she left waiting in vain when she returned to England to marry a suitable and wealthy Englishman. Sophie is invited to accompany her on her quest.There is the conventional romcom plotline centering around Seyfried's character who is caught between two men, and there is the life affirming romance of Redgrave's character. It's all very sweet and also predictable. But hey, if you want an hour and a half of escapism and a bit of Italian sunshine on a rainy evening, this is just perfect. The filming locations in Tuscany are gorgeous, there is lots of summer and sunshine which, along with the beauty and positive outlook on life of the two leading ladies and their characters can't but cheer you up.The cast is quite wonderful. Amanda Seyfried is sweet and lovable as Sophie, Gael Garcia Bernal is absolutely hilarious as her preoccupied restauranteur fiance, Christopher Egan serves well as the uptight upperclass young Englishman, but it is Vanessa Redgrave who is the real star of this. She is bewitching in this. And to have her real life husband Franco Nero come riding into her life on his horse... well, it's perfect. Sweet, charming, highly recommended.The DVD has subtitles for the hard of hearing. There are also a number of exta features included: - Deleted & Extended Scenes - Audio Commentary - A Making of Featurette - Featurette: A Courtyard in Verona