Letters to Juliet -- Review

In the eyes of true love, is there a time limit for how long love lasts?  Is there an expiration date on love?  What if the timing just wasn't right during that first meeting, what then? How long can love hold on?  And who would you ask for help with these questions?  Letters to Juliet is a heart warming romantic comedy that takes you on a journey through the Italian countryside in search for a woman's true love. 

Letters to Juliet is every chick's perfect flick.  The story is cute, the country is beautiful, and there's a hottie with a foreign accent.  What girl wouldn't fall head over heels in love and straight into a romanticoma? 

Well, even though the story is very enjoyable I struggled with the pacing and length of the film.  Keep in mind it follows the story of a woman who waited 50 years to goes back in search of her true love after receiving a letter from secretaries of Juliet telling her "It's never too late!" The film appears to have some difficulty keeping the story moving, but with the help of the beautiful Vanessa Redgrave and the young starlet Amanda Seyfried the story is a fun film for a mother/daughter or grandmother/granddaughter day-out.  Personally I would not recommend Letters to Juliet for a date film as the comedic side to this romantic comedy is much lighter than your typical romantic comedy.  I did find the chemistry between Amanda Seyfried (HBO's Big Love) and her love interest played by Aussie hottie Christopher Egan (NBC's Kings) to be believable in a very Shakespearean influenced love story with two happy endings. 

Letters to Juliet is a breathtakingly beautiful film that will make you want to catch the next flight to Italy, however I found the idea of Juliet's secretaries to be truly the selling point for me.  I love the idea that hope and second chances are being spread around the world as letters flood the Secretaries of Juliet in Verona.  Yes, this is the romantic in me speaking, but to think that for all the time we girls spend shedding tears over a lover, and the number of pints of Ben and Jerry ice cream consumed after a breakup, the idea that there are women (maybe men too) giving hope and advice, the sympathetic ear on behalf of one of the greatest female heroines in literary history is a remarkable story all on its own.  And after a little research not only did I discover that there is a club that actually exists call the Club of Juliet, but I read that leading lady Vanessa Redgrave and real life husband Franco Nero had a similar story of reconnecting many years later and marrying just adds another dimension to the story being told. 

Letters to Juliet is a cute film about true love and how it is NEVER too late to go after it, though we now use the internet and have lost the romance and excitement that adds to the romance when waiting for the snail mail to arrive.  With a cast full of such strong actors and some Shakespearean flavor this film will make your hear grow just a little.  So if you are a mother/grandmother spending some time with your daughter/granddaughter this weekend I would recommend this film.  I give Letters to Juliet a 3.5 out of 5.

(A Personal Note: In writing this I also found that event he not famous rekindle their true love, as I discovered while writing this that my very own parents had crushes on each other in high school, but didn't marry until 15 plus years later after they reconnected.)

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Leap Year -- Review

As Valentine's Day begins to make it's quick approach the number of upcoming releases in the romantic comedy category will of course increase. We will have remakes of old classes (When in Rome - modern update to Roman Holiday), we will have the romantic comedy with Taylor squared and a collaborative with other great actors (Valentine's Day) which I expect will of course live up to it's title. But in order to kick off the year right we have to have at least one romantic comedy opening the first weekend of the new year.

Granted if this was me, I would have waited a little and most likely I would have chosen to release this particular film on an actual leap year. The gimmick is there of course, but for me I need a little extra something. Maybe it is the cynical single girl within lashing out after sitting through yet another romantic comedy on my own, unable to prevent that horrible little thought that creeps into every single girls mind of "I wish I was here with someone". But this is where I draw the line and apply one of my new years resolutions... (to not let the sight of happy couples make me feel bad about being single)... So I put my single feelings behind me and move on.

Leap Year is a cute story with a little bit of Irish luck. From time to time the story did begin to drag, but it helped that there were a few good actors to keep the film afloat. Amy Adams is a triple threat with in her ever growing career, shining on screen as an actress, singer and dancer. Her comedic timing made her adorable to watch, and even with several weak lines throughout the film she shinned with the Irish look and strawberry blond hair. I guess I'm just a sucker for the Irish, but the pairing of Amy Adams and Matthew Goode was a cute on-screen couple. Matthew Goode may not be a "McDreamy" or "McSteamy", or even a Bradly Cooper, but his charm, gorgeous green eyes and to-die-for accent makes up for all the rest. It was refreshing to see a film where the leading lady realizes she has a thing for "the guy she's not supposed to like" when he has ALL of his clothes on. The chemistry was fun to watch unfold throughout the film. At times it reminded me of Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night, when all you wanted was the "fall of the wall of Gibraltar".

Aside from the story, the beautiful Irish country side is a sight to see. Aside from the single girl cynicism of the "I wish I had that...", I could not contain the awe feeling of watching this traveling film. By the end of the film you will want to rush out and purchase a ticket on the next flight to Dublin, jump in a car, and just drive around Ireland just to see the lush greens and history of these shires and villages. It's true that it is all about location, location, location...

Leap Year may not be your choice for top theater going films, but I would highly recommend it for a little cuddle time with your special someone on a snowy or rainy day.