Letters to Juliet
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For all you cheesy romantics out there – never fear, Hollywood still has your back. While super heroes and geriatric action stars are dominating this year’s summer season, “Letters to Juliet” offers a more low key distraction. A love story for all ages, this generally chipper chick flick isn’t the brightest or the wittiest - it isn’t even mildly sexy. It will; however, make the preteen crowd and their moms swoon.
Amanda Seyfried stars as Sophie, a fact checker and hopeful writer for the New Yorker, who ends up in Verona on a pre-honeymoon vacation with her fiancee, Victor (Gael Garcia Bernal). While Victor scours the Italian countryside for the best food and recipes to take home to his new restaurant, Sophie is left to wander the city alone – but not for long.
When she discovers a letter written to the mythical Juliet of Shakespearian fame, she can’t help but respond to a woman who long ago was searching for her true love. Soon, Sophie has met the woman who wrote the letter, a now aged Claire (Vanessa Redgrave), and her grandson, Charlie (Christopher Egan). The three venture off to find Claire’s true love, while Sophie finds her own.
If any of this sounds familiar to you, you’re probably right. Not much about this film is new and it doesn’t re-examine anything old. Still, films like this one continue to get made because they appeal to anyone with a skewed sense of love and romance. Considering the lingering popularity of Disney princesses, let’s face it, these doe-eyed hopefuls are here to stay.
One of the more enjoyable aspects of “Letters to Juliet” is the scenery. Picturesque countrysides and all the fine architecture of Italy seem to be forever bathed in a perfect orange glow. Couples can be seen walking hand in hand throughout the film, and while it’s all more than a bit hokey, it does transport the audience to a world where true love can be found, if indeed it does exist.
Most of the cast isn’t able to breathe much life into the deflated story. Seyfried gives a disappointing performance and is frequently overshadowed by Bernal’s over the top caricature and Redgrave’s perfectly like-able bleeding heart. In fact, Redgrave is the one that steals the show. She’s funny enough where it counts, and even the stoniest of hearts will find themselves hoping she ends up with her long lost beau.
The romance that develops between Sophie and Charlie doesn’t come as a surprise, even if you haven’t seen the trailer. In fact, the whole film is as predictable as they come. It’s disappointing to see little develop out of either of Sophie’s relationships, though their premises are ripe for growth. In the end, it just stops becoming interesting.
As a whole, “Letters to Juliet” is a poorly written cookie cutter love story. The acting is, for the most part, bland, and the cinematography can only redeem the movie to an extent. Despite all of that, it does pluck a few heartstrings and is perfectly aimed at the tween crowd. Don’t expect any sex, passion, or, you know, anything real, and you might just find the film watchable. At the very least, guys, it makes for a good date movie.
