Under the Tuscan Sun, must have been a pretty tough film to pitch: A recently divorced and heart-broken author and literary critic, is fatefully sent to Italy on an all-gay week-long tour, she impulsively buys a 300 year old house and then a few things happen after that. Some of these things are interesting and promise to advance the plot and others are just sort of there to provide color and use up screen time.

I would suppose that one of the chief reasons it was Green-lighted was that Director Audrey Wells wrote the screenplay (a fictional rendering, for the most part) based upon the real Frances Mayes' memoirs. But chiefly because they were able to land the recently rejuvenated Diane Lane to play the lead - which she does a very fine job of - even given an uneven script that asks her to engage in far too much silly gimmicky gags. There are times when the film could be fairly entitled "Under The Tuscan Money Pit." There was way too much emphasis on the tribulations and pratfalls of renovating the old dwelling. (However, fans of Trading Spaces and While You Were Out won't mind these parts as much as myself). I could've done without the snake and the scorpion and the Owl who seeks shelter in by far the films worst seen - "the Lightning Storm!)

One would fairly suspect that Under the Tuscan Sun was directed by a gay woman, but there's no agenda here, in fact I found it admirable that the director demonstrated that homosexual relationships are just as precarious and unpredictable as the hetero variety. Still this is what I would call a classic "wait for video" film - I could see myself getting fidgety in a theater, whereas in the comfort of my bedroom the patience this film requires is easier to offer.

Though you would suspect such a film to be a romantic comedy and something of a female-empowerment affair, the film unfolded in a novel manner by such standards and for that I applaud it. Although, by the end, it did eventually cross most of the clichés off the list. Aside from the Money Pit issues, I very much enjoyed most of this film, it was nicely cast and the supporting players understood their roles and never stepped out of line. The best supporting performance was turned in by her helpful real estate agent, Martini (Vincenzo Ricotta), who not only helps her find a hard-working crew of Polish workers, but is also attracted to her. Initially in more of an avuncular fashion, but at a particularly emotional moment for Lane he nearly succumbs to his all-too-human inclination to offer comfort in any manner she might prefer. After just a beat of indecision on both their parts, Martini thinks better of it, as he is a happily married family man. His performance was perfect throughout.

Among the other colorful players are an eccentric former Fellini-film actress, who goes over-the-top, (and is never at a loss for a metaphor that offers a profound life lesson) and charming Polish worker who falls for an Italian girl causing Lane to eventually play peacemaker as this Shakespearean family dilemma is happily resolved, I'll not spoil any more of this for you, because I can give it a tentative recommendation. It's a movie that develops a bit too slowly and would have profited from perhaps 15 minutes worth of editing, but I still found myself charmed by a good deal of it, not the least of which are the breath-taking Italian backdrops.