Under the Tuscan Sun' in need of a little more incubation

When writer Frances, played by a lovely and likable Diane Lane, finds herself pounding on the wall of a dark and dreary apartment building aptly dubbed "Camp Divorc?©e" in order to silence her perpetually weeping neighbor, it seems as though the sun has set on her formerly picturesque life.

A victim of infidelity, Frances is just slipping into the hopelessness of divorced life when her pregnant lesbian friend, Patti (Sandra Oh), ships her off to Tuscany on a romantic ten day tour: "Gay and Away."

Struck by the beauty and character of the Italian countryside, Frances unexpectedly ditches the tour and impulsively buys a perfectly run down villa and begins the metaphorical restoration of her life with the renovation of Bramasole. Literally translated, Bramasole means "yearning for the sun."

Along the way, Frances is confronted with a slew of challenges from frightening electrical storms to steaming toilet bowls. She also encounters an incredibly varied cast of village characters including a young Polish immigrant (Pawel Szaida), a eccentric and dramatic English woman named Katherine (Lindsey Duncan), and of course a hunky and suave Italian, Marcello (Raul Bova).

It appears that Frances has found true love to fill the overbearing emptiness of Bramasole, when she bumps into the epitome of a smooth Italian, Marcello, while running errands in Rome. After being swept off her feet, the course of the story seems clear: boy meets girl, they fall into passionate love, and everyone is happy.

Then the movie changes its mind with the unexpected arrival of Patti, eight months pregnant and abandoned by her lesbian lover. This turn of events postpones the love affair and brings us back to the film's original theme of persevering independence.

At this point, the story could go anywhere: Marcello practically disappears; Patti makes herself right at home, proceeding to have her baby there; Katherine, in a strange act of symbolism (I think!), dances her way drunkenly through a town fountain; Frances is desperately hanging on to the idea that true love is possible as she tries to help two starry eyed teenagers carry on a secret and forbidden affair. At this point in the movie, the audience is left utterly perplexed, only to be drawn back by the delicious Tuscan scenery. However, even the scenery at times appears to be just a flimsy backdrop, plunging the film into an ever deeper state of fantasy.

The helplessness and hopelessness of being alone for the first time is a theme that reaches out to all audiences and makes it impossible for us not to be rooting for Frances. Lane also makes the transition from a smart and together critic and author to a very pathetic and heartbroken divorc?©e seamlessly. Her charisma, along with the gorgeous Italian countryside, undoubtedly carries the film and inspires impulse buyers everywhere to pack up and go pick olives along Tuscany's sloping countryside.

As is the case with so many blatant chick flicks, it's hard not to be endeared by Frances' situation and determination. It seems natural that after such heartbreak, Frances would fall into the arms of a beautiful Italian. But then again, it makes as much sense that the movie would direct her towards the "secure-independent" woman route, as suggested by the inspirational friendship with witty, gal-pal Patti.

The movie would have had the potential to be great, regardless of the direction chosen by director Audrey Wells. Unfortunately, Wells tries her hand at too many conflicting directorial choices, yielding a product which is utterly stale. Conflicted and unsatisfied without the stability of companionship, Frances is trying very hard to fall in love. This cheapens the protagonist's journey to self discovery, and leaves us wondering why she can't seem to find happiness without a steamy relationship.

With a few too many subplots, an indecisiveness of where exactly to steer this story and a couple far-fetched plot twists that leave the audience thinking, "no way could this ever actually happen," Under the Tuscan Sun is somehow able to salvage itself in the end. Amazingly enough, Wells manages to leave no loose ends as she ties up the complex story in a neatly packaged and charming conclusion where somehow, everyone gets just what they asked for.

The classic allure of picking up and leaving it all behind to start over in a beautiful country overflowing with plump grapes, rolling hills, gentle inhabitants, and the promise of sunshine keeps this film afloat as it is continuously threatened to be dragged down by an unrealistic and clich?©d plotline. It also doesn't hurt that the movie boasts an ideally picturesque cast with Academy Award Nominee Diane Lane, a wryly amusing Sandra Oh, and a gorgeous Raul Bova.

In the end, Under the Tuscan Sun is worth the price of admission because if nothing else, it will add a little sunshine to Boston's approaching blustery winter and leave you optimistic that the old clich?© is true: it is always darkest before the dawn.