Why do I love thee, Juliet? Let me count the ways: there are no decapitations, no car crashes, no gun fights, no pratfalls, no terminal diseases, no talking animals and no aliens – just one beautiful love story, two captivating romances and oodles of picturesque Northern Italian scenery.
Letters To Juliet is the most unabashedly romantic movie of the year, and maybe the past few years. It is a story aimed straight at the heart and is not ashamed at all to be so romantic. An almost perfect cast tells this story of a woman looking for a past love and influencing a present one.
Parts of Letters to Juliet work. Tracking down Lorenzo is fun. Amanda Seyfried [Dear John] plays Sophie. She is a likable and natural young actress with a bright future. Her chemistry with co-star and acting legend Vanessa Redgrave is wonderful.
The lives of the two women intertwine. Clair let the love of her life go, and Sophie — who falls in love with the grandson — is about to make a similar mistake. This is where Letters to Juliet takes a wrong turn. Christopher Egan’s Charlie is a stretch, and there is little chemistry between he and Seyfried.
Their story just isn’t that interesting, and it is so predictable.
Gael Garcia Bernal — who plays Sophie’s self-absorbed fiance — gives the film’s best performance. His completely shallow character is also the film’s deepest. At least you really get to know him. Everyone else is seen on the surface. But that’s not a surprise. This is a straight-ahead chick flick and they rarely offer surprises. If you’ve seen the trailer, so you’ve seen the movie. Hihi
Letters to Juliet is love Italian style in cliche chunks. However, even with a third act that is way too long, for what it is, Letters to Juliet works. And what makes the movie an acceptable time killer is the appeal of the players and the always reliably gorgeous scenery.
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