Letters To Juliet Review
Thursday, April 29, 2010
, Posted by Should I See It at 4:14 AM
Film: Letters to Juliet
Director: Gary Winick
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Christopher Egan, Vanessa Redgrave and Gael Garcia Bernal.
Plot: A Young American woman, Sophie, on holiday in Verona Italy, finds a letter written 50 years ago from a woman who abandoned her lover. Sophie decides to write back, prompting the woman, Clare, to come to Italy with her grandson Charlie in search of her lost love. Clare, Charlie and Sophie set off together. On the way, Charlie and Sophie fall in love.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Letters to Juliet.
Correction. I was expecting the same rom-com formula (which I got), what I was uncertain about was how well the film would pull it off.
I knew it would not be an instant classic, but I was pretty sure that it was just another run of the mill, half-baked, let’s-make-a-profit Romantic Comedy.
I can say that it’s definitely more than half-baked. Not a classic. Rather it’s Nice. Warm. While the plot is nothing to write home about, there’s something unpretentious about it that makes it enjoyable.
The film actually rolls along quite nicely until the ‘declaration’ scene. The final scene reaches new levels of cheesiness unmatched by any other in the film. The inevitable ‘I Love You’ that occurs in this scene seems forced and undeserved. Indeed the entire scene descends into hyperbole when Charlie declares that hi is ‘truly, madly, deeply, passionately in love’ with Sophie. (By the way Charlie, Savage Garden called and they want their song back). A much more subtle ending (ie the recognition of each other’s feelings as oppoed to the forced declarations) would have been far more satisfactory and far more suited to the ‘nicety’ of this film
Italy looks beautiful; well at least the bits we see do. I just wish the director Gary Winick had been a little bit more in love with the Italian landscape. It deserved to become a character in the film, rather than just the back drop. But I guess I can’t expect too much imagination from the man that brought us Bride Wars.
Christopher Egan has come a long way since Home and Away. His English accent is very good, especially considering how broad his Aussie accent was in Home and Away. He actually proves himself a very competent actor. He can deliver a funny line. He was enjoyable to watch. The film didn’t really pick up until Egan came on screen.
However, this is one thing about his performance that I have to mention: his walk.
Now you’re probably thinking: “His Walk? Seriously?!” But OMG it is hilarious!
Christopher Egan appears to have massive feet! And it makes him look really awkward when he walks (especially in his little hurried/angry walk that he does at the start of the film!). It’s almost like trying to watch someone walk when they are wearing flippers!
I’m laughing just thinking about it!
Anyway… back to the movie.
Before seeing this film, I hadn’t really made up my mind about Seyfried. After seeing Letters to Juliet I have decided that she is not my type of actress.
Oh, she has beautiful eyes and hair that stays perfectly in place (something I find hard to believe would happen in the stuffy New York City summers) but she lacks the charm that is especially vital for a leading lady in this type of film. Some actors can make so-so dialogue sound great; Seyfried makes so-so dialogue sound so-so. I can’t help but think that a better actress could have lifted the film a little.
Letters to Juliet delivers pretty much what it promises: Light and fluffy. It’s more good natured than The Proposal, less vapid than Valentine’s Day and far more chaste than The Ugly Truth.
Oh, she has beautiful eyes and hair that stays perfectly in place (something I find hard to believe would happen in the stuffy New York City summers) but she lacks the charm that is especially vital for a leading lady in this type of film. Some actors can make so-so dialogue sound great; Seyfried makes so-so dialogue sound so-so. I can’t help but think that a better actress could have lifted the film a little.
Letters to Juliet delivers pretty much what it promises: Light and fluffy. It’s more good natured than The Proposal, less vapid than Valentine’s Day and far more chaste than The Ugly Truth.
Should I See It?
Let’s put it this way: It’s better than you would expect.
Letters to Juliet is released on the 13th of May in Australia.
Letters to Juliet Official Site here.
Overall pleasant movie..Cute..Great acting..not pretentious at all and no sex scenes which is a nice change..
Overall pleasant movie..Cute..Great acting..not pretentious at all and no sex scenes which is a nice change..