Letters to Juliet

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There’s a scene near the beginning of the dire romcom Letters to Juliet when Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) a young, slim blonde walks through the construction site of her fiancé’s New York restaurant. The fact that not a single builder turns his head or wolf whistles  alerts you to the fact that social realism is not going to be a priority with this movie.

The movie’s pitch is as follows:   “In Verona, Italy – the beautiful city where Romeo first met Juliet – there is a place where the heartbroken leave notes asking Juliet for her help. It’s there that aspiring writer Sophie finds a 50-year-old letter that will change her life forever. She sets off on a romantic journey of the heart with the letter’s author, Claire, now a grandmother, and her handsome grandson……..”

A warning to viewers  – make sure keep a handkerchief sick bag nearby.

All this talk of romance and mushy ‘follow the heart’ idealism means that this is a love story with any sexual connotations carefully airbrushed out. Sophie’s boyfriend Victor  is more likely to get a hard-on over the prospect of smelling fresh truffles than on sharing his bed with her. He is the antithesis of a randy Latin Lover and  a peck on the cheek and a respectful embrace are the only clues that they have shared bodily fluids.

Given that this is story about the enduring power of love, the chaste refusal to acknowledge the sexual act becomes more bizarre as the movie goes on. Only when Redgrave’s character recalls the smell of her Italian lover’s sweat do we get any clue that they might have actually taken off their clothes and had intercourse. (Censored)

With mind numbing inevitability,  Sophie  falls for Claire’s pompous English grandson, Charlie – all it takes is one passionless kiss under the moonlight to trigger this unlikely romance.   Meanwhile, Vanessa Redgrave glides through the movie and brings a dignity and elegance that it does not deserve.

The only positive aspect to this dreadful movie is the fact that love between the old is treated with respect . This is not so surprising since in the real world Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero married for a second time after 40 years apart . Their true life romance would have made a far better subject for a movie than this sugar-coated twaddle.

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