If it were up to me, we would watch a horror movie, action film or comedy every time. But, I know my wife enjoys a good romantic drama every now and then so I will occasionally cave in and watch one with her. This is how we ended up watching the film “Letters to Juliet.”
I had seen previews of this movie when it first came out and it honestly didn’t look like something I would be interested in. So, when we sat down to watch this movie earlier this week, I admittedly was reluctant and actually considered telling my wife she could watch it by herself if she wanted. However, after seeing it, I do have to admit it was better than I was expecting it to be.
As far as the overall plot goes, I am willing to give this movie some points for originality. Amanda Seyfried (who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses) stars as Sophie, a young woman visiting Verona with her fiancé and, finding herself abandoned (he’s opening a new restaurant and spends his time visiting with suppliers) tours the city herself and, after meeting the women who answer letters left in Juliet’s fictional courtyard, discovers a letter that had been written 50 years earlier and answers it. This leads to her meeting the woman (Vanessa Redgrave) who wrote it and helps her and her reluctant grandson track down her long lost love, Lorenzo.
In addition to the unique plot, I absolutely loved the scenery. I don’t know if I’ll ever visit Italy in person. But, if I ever get a chance, this will be one of the movies that inspired me to do it.
My only real complaint about this film is, despite the unique plot, it was surprisingly predictable. The second they introduced the grandson (Christopher Egan), I knew he would eventually be a love interest for Sophie and, not even halfway through the movie, I was able to guess at the ending with quite a bit of accuracy.
However, other than the fact the movie could have used a few more surprise twists in it, I did think it was an OK film. It still isn’t something I personally would pick out but I didn’t regret watching it with my wife either.
My grade: 3 stars out of a possible 5.