Rarely is a romantic comedy such an unromantic comedy as Under the Tuscan Sun.  And, trust me, this is a good thing.  99% of the time, we are with Frances (played by the fabulous Diane Lane) dealing with when love doesn't work.  What a perfect place for a movie to dwell for a bit... since, obviously and unfortunately, so many of us can relate.   We meet Frances, a writer and book reviewer, moving amongst friends and colleague at a cocktail party one evening.  A man approaches her regarding a book that he authored that Frances gave a loathing review of.  As the ultimate revenge, the mysterious man drops a bombshell of information - something to the affect that Frances' husband (who just so happens to be absent from this party) is having an affair.  And here, our story begins.  

We sit with Frances as she tries to figure out what life is for her now that she is divorced.  This isn't what she planned.  Definitely not what she dreamed.  What now?  We watch her life devolve for a time.  Watching these developments at the same time is Frances' best friend, Patti.  She and her partner decide to trade in their romantic trip for two to Tuscany for a single ticket for Frances.  The hope is that the change will snap Frances out of the fog she's been moving around in and begin to live again.  After some initial hesitation, she agrees.  Once there, Frances happens upon a few signs that cause her to throw caution to the wind and buy a worn-down villa in a quaint town called Cortona.  

This movie has stayed with me and continues to bring a smile to my lips when I think about it.  In addition to the story, one thing that stands out in this movie -- that causes it to rise above an average flick -- is the supporting cast around Diane Lane's Frances.  So often these films make fodder out of the support cast and you never really care one way or another about them.  Here, like in Notting Hill, the support cast causes you to care in a deeper sense about the whole breadth and depth of the story.  Not only do you want to find out if Frances makes it through this tough time... but do Patti, Pawel & Chiara, and Katherine as well.

A final gem is tucked into this film.  Listen up when Senor Martini shares with Frances about a train track that was built in the Alps before there was a train that could climb it.  It's a beautiful metaphor on the power of hope and possibility and living your life saying that hope and possibility are real.