Rising starlet Amanda Seyfried has half of the Meg Ryan mojo down cold in the new romance “Letters to Juliet.”
She flashes a vulnerable side that’s six parts of adorable, especially when you get lost in her beautiful, saucer-like eyes.
But it’s Ryan’s feistiness that’s missing – as well as a romantic foil worth falling for, in this intermittently engaging romp.
Young, starry-eyed Sophie (Seyfried) jets to Verona for a pre-engagement vacation with her chef beau (Gael García Bernal).
He spends his days researching his new restaurant, leaving her to explore the gorgeous Italian city.
She discovers a local tradition where people write notes to their lovers hoping Shakespeare’s iconic Juliet will answer.
Actually, it’s a team of Dear Abby types who does the honors.
Sophie finds a 50-year-old note hidden beneath a loose brick from a woman named Claire who let the love of her life get away. And wouldn’t you know it Sophie ends up finding Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) and vowing to reunite her with that old flame.
If he’s still alive.
Together, the women search for Claire’s “Romeo” while the woman’s stuffy grandson Charlie (Christopher Egan) tags along.
But might there be a new romance in play? The more Sophie’s chef mate ignores her, the more she finds Charlie’s fussy mannerisms beguiling.
The idea behind “Juliet” is certainly novel, but there’s little fresh material sandwiched around it. The search for Claire’s lost love offers some charming moments, thanks mainly to Redgrave’s radiance. She’s a movie star stuck in a middling feature, and she’s got her hands full.
But the story wheezes to complete the loop on the dueling love stories, even while audiences connect all the dots long before the credits roll.
Sophie and Charlie might have made make unconventional love birds – an open-hearted American and a by-the-numbers Brit – but they don’t emit romantic sparks. And by making Sophie’s fiance a one-note dud, any possible tension between her suitors never materializes.
The scenery in “Juliet” is lovely through and through, and even when the love story seems hopelessly banal you can still feast your eyes on some gorgeous vistas.
“Letters to Juliet” is strictly for romantics who can look past screen chemistry and logic when seeking out their night’s entertainment.
(Photo: Vanessa Redgrave and Amanda Seyfried star in “Letters to Juliet” – Photo: John Johnson/© 2010 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.)
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Seyfried is both talented and adorable, no question. Now if she’d just start showing up in movies that I was actually interested in seeing…
Well, I saw this movie this past weekend (kind of under duress, it was my group’s choice, not mine). I will say, I enjoyed Amanda Seyfried more than I expected. I didn’t find the movie that bad or sappy until the last five minutes, and then it became quite groan-inducing. I also agree about the lack of romantic tension between Seyfried and Egan, and I think the main problem with him is that his character’s personality had completely changed by the end of the movie. I actually also liked that the movie did not portray Bernal as some sort of villian, just as someone who had different priorities and focus. Anyway, now you have my two cents.
Great point about Bernal – who is a comic find who took me by surprise. And yes, the ending is God awful.
Your two cents are always welcome.
The trickiest part of the ‘opposites attract’ rom-com rule is the moment when a flicker of romance is borne. Frankly, I didn’t see it here …