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I don't mind films that present a woman's point of view but here the men come off especially badly. Beyond her philandering husband, there is the writer who tells Frances of her husband's affair to get back at her for a bad review and Frances' lawyer who has no sympathy for her whatever. There's more. There is the obligatory romantic Italian named Marcello (of course) but he is deceitful and she is left to fall back for comfort on her friend Patti who comes to visit her in Italy, even though ready to deliver her baby. I could go on and tell you about the teenager who wants to marry a Polish laborer but her parents object, not unreasonably it seems to me, because she has just met the boy, an itinerant laborer with no education. They are persuaded, however, because he performs well in a flag-throwing contest and Frances lies and says he is part of her family. This is movie making on the level of a television sitcom. It plucks the right heartstrings, has an uplifting message, and appeals to just about every known demographic. The only thing lacking is narrative coherence and emotional truth. On the plus side, it has a good message, (fulfillment can be found by giving to others) and, thanks to cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson, the redeeming beauty of the Tuscan countryside. This plus Diane Lane is worth the price of admission but there is little else to recommend it except of course if you are doing research on the difference between art and artifice.
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