User Reviews

In New York, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is the efficient event checker of The New Yorker and her fiancé Victor (Gael García Bernal) is an enthusiastic chef that is opening an Italian restaurant of his own. They decide to have a pre-honeymoon traveling to Verona, where Victor will visit his suppliers. Once in Italy, Victor does not give much attention to Sophie, spending his time with the meetings. When he decides to travel to Livorno, Sophie prefers to stay in Verona to sightsee the historical places. She visits the house of Juliet, where tourists leave love letters and she finds a group of women called "secretaries of Juliet" that reply the letters. She joins the group and finds an unanswered letter from 1957 from a British woman named Claire Smith (Vanessa Redgrave) hidden behind a brick and she decides to reply the letter. A couple of days later, the snobbish and skeptic prig Charlie (Christopher Egan) visits the secretaries of Juliet and Sophie leans that he is the grandson of the widow Claire that has just come to Verona to seek out Lorenzo Bartolini after receiving the letter written by Sophie. She meets the old lady and they decide to search her former love together. There are seventy-four Lorenzo Bartolini in Italy, but true love does not have expiration date. Meanwhile the estranged relationship between Sophie and Charlie changes.

"Letters to Juliet" is a delightful romance highly recommended for romantic viewers. I have seen the trailer that is a spoiler indeed and I postponed the DVD to watch it later. But the movie is worth, specially watching the performance of Ms. Vanessa Redgrave, who is still a very elegant and beautiful lady and gives credibility to Claire Smith. The witty and sparkled Amanda Seyfried seems to have fun performing Sophie and Christopher Egan completes the charming young lead couple. For those like me that have never had the chance to visit Italy, the journey of Claire, Sophie and Charlie is an awesome sightseeing in this beautiful country. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Cartas para Julieta" ("Letters to Juliet")

Aspiring writer Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) and her fiancé go to Verona for a pre-wedding/business trip, but he's obsessed with work and leaves poor Sophie to sightsee alone. She visits Juliet's famous house, where for generations lovelorn women have left letters asking for advice in Juliet's brick wall. The locals who answer the letters on Juliet's behalf invite Sophie to join them and her response to a 50-year old letter will change several lives forever.

This has all the makings of a charming chick flick, telling an idealistic love story in a stunningly beautiful place. Verona and the Tuscan countryside are so gorgeous, I was ready to pack my bags and go. Seyfried makes a likable enough heroine but she's paired with wooden Christopher Eagan who lacks depth, looks too young, and is a total cheeseball. The two share no romantic sparks whatsoever.

The movie is saved by Vanessa Redgrave as the woman who wrote the letter decades ago. She's classy, confidant, and doesn't look like she's acting. Her reunited lost love is played perfectly by Franco Nero who commands the screen even though his part is small. (Their obvious chemistry is for real; they were in love in the sixties, parted, and only recently reunited and married - what a good plot for a movie!)

It's a shame the story has such a Disneyish fairy tale-feel to it. One knows immediately everything that will happen and how it will end. It was too unbelievable and silly for me, although I think younger people would like it. Recommended for those who love picturesque Italy.

Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is a fact checker for New Yorker magazine, although she longs to be a bonafide journalist. Her boss (Oliver Platt) knows she does a great job in her present position but has no clue concerning her writing aspirations. Lucky gal, she is also engaged to a very handsome chef (Gael Garcia Bernal) and they are about to embark on a journey to Verona, Italy. But, how genuine is her luck, really? Her fiancé rarely devotes his full attention to what she is saying or wishing, being utterly wrapped up in the new restaurant he is about to open. Even the trip abroad, a supposed "pre-honeymoon" gets sidetracked when future hubby only wants to go to wine auctions and such. No sightseeing, which is what Sophie is keen to do. Therefore, she lets her mate go off on his own, while she looks over Verona, especially the "Juliet Wall", where folks leave letters to Juliet for advice on love. Sophie discovers that a team of older ladies compose the return letters and they let her help, one day. It is then that Sophie finds a letter tucked behind a loose brick. What a find! As it turns out, it was written by a young lady named Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) fifty years ago. She wanted to know if she should follow her heart and become attached to an Italian named Lorenzo (Franco Nero) or should she go home to England. Sadly, no one found the letter and Claire returned to Britain. Now, Sophie writes a reply to see what occurs. Ho, ho, ho! Claire and her grandson, Charlie (Christopher Egan) are in Verona in a matter of a few days, with Charlie giving Sophie a tongue-lashing for upsetting his grandmother's life. Instant dislike reigns. But, given the fact that fiancé is still on the run, this new trio, Claire, Sophie and Charlie, begin a search through the surrounding countryside for Lorenzo. Will they find him? And, will Sophie and Charlie stop fighting long enough to gaze into each other's eyes? I say go see this beautifully made film soon. The cast is wonderful, with Seyfried and Egan making a talented and good-looking pair, and the lesser cast members doing nice work as well. Redgrave is very touching as the older lady looking backwards and Nero, well, not only is he charming, he still looks most handsome! The scenery, naturally, is dazzling and so are the costumes and cinematography. The script has some originality, as well as predictable events, and the direction, though slow at times, seems secure. In short, let yourself off the hook from more mundane tasks and trot off to the cinema for this little gem, romance fans.

Two words: Vanessa Redgrave! This film could have been a light and enjoyable romantic comedy, but Miss Redgraves shines like a very welcome sun, giving us plenty of warmth and love, like in the classic comedies of the 30's. Everything was possible back then...

Christopher Egan and Amanda Seyfried are not bad at all, and they have enough chemistry to enjoy the secondary story line, but she does deserve a better partner in her next time out. Back to Miss Redgrave, after all, she is back, and much like the story line, she has been around forever, but she hasn't been a romantic lead for a while, and this character is not pretending to be another age, or too hip, or too different, or none is revisiting the genre and looking at the complexities of the mind. What we get is a romantic fantasy about two people who might get to have their dreams come true.

What is special about this entry is that the leading lady is charming and wise, tender and understanding, that she has a grandson and sees beyond what the others see. She understands what is like to be in love, what is like to lose a great love, and what it feels like to have a second chance with the true love of your life. In fact, when we see how she has some near misses in the film, our hearts nearly break.

The film is handsomely photographed. It is after all, Italy, and there is much to enjoy as the story unfolds. There is no secret and surprising ending, but a very sweet film, with a fantastic performance, and with much to offer a public that longs for some fulfilling story lines.

May Ms. Redgrave live on...

It is always pleasing when a film finds an original idea, even if it then uses that idea as a basis for a straightforward romantic drama/comedy.

Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) and Victor are engaged. Victor is about to open a restaurant in New York, so they decide to take a pre-honeymoon holiday in Verona. Victor turns out to be more interested in sourcing suppliers for the restaurant than on spending time with Sophie (as a result of which we know their romance is going nowhere), so Sophie does tourist things including visiting Juliet's house where, it transpires, the "Secretaries of Juliet" remove the letters left there daily by the lovelorn and reply to them. Sophie finds a letter dating back 50 years from teenage (at the time) Claire who ran away from Italian lover Lorenzo, and replies to it: to her surprise, Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) turns up with grandson Charlie (Christopher Egan) to look for Lorenzo and, wouldn't you know it, things start to happen between Sophie and Charlie.

The developing romance between Sophie and Charlie is by far the least convincing aspect of this film. Charlie is unconvinced of the wisdom of his grandmother's quest and is hostile towards Sophie for instigating it. This leads to some sparky and entertaining dialogue, but does make it seem improbable that they would overcome their mutual hostility sufficiently to fall for each other within a week.

Conversely, Claire's quest is totally convincing, and you can't take your eyes off Vanessa Redgrave. She is absolutely convincing in conveying both the grace and gentleness of age, and also the nervousness and uncertainty of someone hoping to recapture that lost teenage love. And, at the age of 74, she is luminously beautiful.

The film is also a feast for the eyes - it might as well be an advertisement for the Tuscany Tourist Board.

A film which is lifted above the inconsequential by Redgrave's sublime performance.

The problem with gratuitously romantic films is that they often tend to alienate those audience members who have a lick of common sense! While there is nothing wrong with a film wearing its heart on its sleeve, it is quite something else to try to embrace an airy-fairy heroine with no sense of maturity whatsoever.

Sophie (Seyfried) is in her mid-20's, working as a fact-checker for New Yorker magazine, living in Manhattan and engaged to gorgeous, passionate chef, Victor (Bernal). Victor is just weeks away from opening his own restaurant and is unfortunately rather busy in the run-up to his launch. When they go on holiday to Verona he drags her around beautiful vineyards and gourmet food tastings (very difficult to sympathise) and she moans and groans until they decide to do their own thing. Sophie visits Juliet Capulet's house where women flock from all over the world to bring love letters which they leave on the wall outside. The plot thickens when Sophie meets the women who reply to the letters known as the Secretaries of Juliet. She soon joins in and becomes involved in a 50 year-old love story involving an elderly British lady (Redgrave) in search of her true love, much to the chagrin of her snooty grandson (Egan).

The plot is silly, but rather fun. The Tuscan countryside is incredibly beautiful which makes the film pleasant on the eye and the plot moves along at a good pace, never leaving the audience bored. However, it is very difficult to villainise the "unromantic" fiancée who only seeks to live life with his feet on the ground. The term "true love" is tossed around constantly but the fact is Sophie has no concept of working through problems or allowing her partner space during a stressful time. She has no time for his passion for food but gets in a strop when he doesn't listen to her nonsense love stories.

This is a silly, fluffy film with a small amount of charm which comes in the form of the enchanting Amanda Seyfried. Her love interest (Christopher Egan) is thoroughly unlikeable and they certainly don't have enough chemistry to suggest that she should give up her whole life to be with him. However, Vanessa Redgrave's search for her long lost love proves infinitely more affecting, and this part of the story is sweet and seems to have more of a grown-up sensibility. Letters to Juliet will probably delight die-hard romantics but it is difficult not to be annoyed by its simplistic and downright naive view of what "true love" really is?

I'm as much a fan of chick flicks as the next person but this is a chick flick I am not a fan of. Sophie is an American magazine fact checker and aspiring writer on a "pre-honeymoon" with her fiancé in Italy. She comes across a courtyard in Verona where women from all over the world are coming to leave letters for Juliet, Shakespeare's Juliet. After following a woman gathering all the letters at the end of the day Sophie finds out that a small group of women personally answer each letter. They call themselves, "Juliet's secretaries". Sophie is invited to join them in answering letters.

One evening retrieving letters, Sophie finds a letter written 50 years ago and decides to respond to the writer in hopes she is still alive. Soon after she is surprised when the grandson of the letter writer (Charlie), arrives in Verona stating that she should mind her own business. Because of her intrusion his grandmother (Claire) is in Italy foolishly attempting to find her one true love.

I was put off by how the character of the grandson, Charlie was written. He was rude which made him very unattractive. The character arc attempted to portray how he is very guarded after his parents' untimely death. It even goes on to mention how he works as a pro bono attorney. He is intended to be gruff on the outside with endearing qualities on the inside. Whatever, even after his back story I still couldn't get past the initial first impression – jerk.

As the story line continues the trio of Charlie, Claire and Sophie traipse around Verona trying to find Claire's long lost love. All they have to go on is his name Lorenzo Bartolini (which they find is quite a common name) and that fact that Claire believes he is still living in Verona. This should have been a vignette instead it took way too long. I found myself fast forwarding through each meeting with a Lorenzo Bartolini. I was bored.

The yawns continued with the Sophie and Victor (her fiancé) scenario. It was predictable, early on the audience is shown how distracted her fiancé is with his own life and aspirations. The fact that it took almost the entire movie before she dumps him is amazing.

A more interesting story would have been of "Juliet's secretaries"; the group of women that answer the letters of the distressed, confused and heartbroken. Who were these women and what brought them to the table to now be in a place to give advice to others? That would have been interesting.

Overall, it was a cute premise, but this story didn't deserve an entire movie.

www.rivareviews.com

I mainly knew about this film because of the leading actress, I didn't know anything else apart from that, but critics gave it good reviews, so I hoped I would like it, directed by Gary Winick (13 Going on 30, Charlotte's Web, Bride Wars). Basically aspiring American writer Sophie Hall (Amanda Seyfried) works for magazine The New Yorker as a fact checker, she goes on a vacation to Verona, Italy with her chef fiancé Victor (Amores Perros's Gael García Bernal). While there Victor is unmoved by the romance of Italy, he is preoccupied to research for his soon to be opening restaurant, he often neglects Sophie, she meanwhile is looking around for something to write about for a magazine article. Sophie explores the courtyard of Verona, most famous for being the setting of William Shakespeare's Romeon and Julet, there thousands of people write letters to the fictional lover, Sophie finds a group of women called the "Secretaries of Juliet", who respond to these letters, using the return addresses. While assisting the women collecting these letters, Sophie knocks a brick out of a wall, and finds an unanswered letter to Juliet, written in 1957, so she decides to respond to the letter, hoping that she will be able to find the woman who wrote it. Soon enough, the now elderly woman, Claire Smith (Vanessa Redgrave), along with her handsome barrister grandson Charlie Wyman (Christopher Egan), arrive in Verona, Sophie and Claire form a friendship, but Charlie and Sophie do not get on with each other. Following Sophie's reply, Claire wishes to find the man the letter was intended for, Sophie thinks that this story could help her writing career, so decides to help her find her long-lost love, Lorenzo Bartolini. The only problem is that Lorenzo Bartolini is a very common name, many live in the area, they spend days searching for the man Claire recognises, with no success, including one Lorenzo being dead. Charlie blames Sophie for Claire's sadness, he says she knows nothing about loss, but Claire tells him that Sophie's mother walked from her when she was little, she wants Charlie to apologise to Sophie, they resolve this argument, and get much closer, to the point when they kiss. The three spend one last day searching for Lorenzo, on a whim they find and stop at a vineyard for a drink, while there Claire spots a young man who is a spitting image of young Lorenzo, they discover he is the grandson of the Lorenzo Bartolini (Franco Nero) they have been looking for, Lorenzo and Claire happily reunite. Sophie returns to New York, Bobby the New Yorker Magazine Editor (Oliver Platt) agrees that the story will appeal to many readers and is pleased to publish it, even asking if she has other stories in the pipeline, Sophie is pleased to say she will look into it. Sophie decides to break off her engagement with Victor, before heading back to Verona to witness Claire and Lorenzo getting married, she sees Charlie with another woman, Patricia (Ashley Lilley), she wrongly assumes he is in love with her, admitting she loves him, he explains that Patricia is his cousin, Charlie also admits his love for Sophie, after a Romeo and Juliet style balcony moment, he falls, and they kiss as he lies on the ground. Also starring Luisa Ranieri as Isabella, Marina Massironi as Francesca and Lidia Biondi as Donatella. Seyfried is beautiful and sweet as the young woman trying to find the perfect story, and Redgrave gives a subtle but great performance as the old woman trying find her past lover, I first thought the story was a bit random, but I went along with it, then I found out it was based on a non-fiction book, it a charming tale of long-lost love, and newfound love along the way, a pleasant romantic drama. Good!

Fifty years ago, a young British girl left her Italian boyfriend out of her own fears, and thanks to the curiosity of a young New Yorker visiting Italy, she gets the chance to resolve her past. This brings the young girl together with the older woman's grandson to face a similar crisis as the three search for the older Italian man.

This romantic vintage is like a fine wine, with its two older stars (Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero) as star-crossed as they were in "Camelot". When Redgrave's grandson (Christopher Egan) meets the young American (Amanda Seyfreid), negative sparks fly because of Seyfreid's answering the 50 year old letter Redgrave left in a Verona wall to be answered by the secretaries of the non-existent Juliet, a metaphor of Shakespeare's ill-fated heroine. Seyfreid is engaged to handsome Italian American Gael García Bernal, but the fire has died. Of course, Redgrave sees this, and slyly moves her grandson and Seyfreid to be together.

There is no shortage of praise to be showered on Vanessa Redgrave who is still lovely and filled with life. She delivers a performance so sensitive and loving that no words of amazement can describe. In her is the message that it is never too late to seek one's dreams. They are never lost, just frozen in the present, ready to defrost at any minute. You will need a box of Kleenex for her reunion with Nero, which happens after some very false meetings with people who have the same name.

Seyfreid is excellent in a performance that could have been rather annoying. When Egan lambasts her for using the phrases "Oh My God" and "Awesome" in the same sentence, I found myself yelling out to my TV, "At least she didn't screech it!". How many young actors can deliver a performance that doesn't grate on the nerves when exuberance doesn't overtake them? Egan is at first pompous and slightly cold but warms up as his grandmother's mission comes to light.

This is a film that is rarely made today, a love story so satisfying where the older characters are more than "cute" and the younger ones are filled with such promise. Add on beautiful Italian scenery and just a feel-good story, and you've got a satisfying movie that, like an Italian meal made from scratch, won't leave you hungry. Be sure to watch the credits for the listing of all the Lorenzo's (Nero's character's name) that appear during the trio's journey.

I watched this movie on a plane, and I had hoped it would at least bring forth some mildly credible, sweet love story. But, no. The plot is really stupid, and the main character is unbearable. The movie is a complete waste of time.

~~~~Spoilers~~~~~ Here's what I didn't like about the movie...

Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is such an unlikeable character. She is an immature young journalist/writer who has no interest in her fiancé's life and work, and somehow expects him to lavish her with attention anyway. Because he doesn't, she falls in love with another man, with whom she shares no interests, and whom she will probably cheat on pretty soon. Strangely enough, this character - who is completely unable to have a relationship of her own - is going around Verona telling people what love is and how they should behave... Hello? Is this supposed to be romantic? It is sooo dull!!! Another thing I think was absurd was how Sophie (Seyfried) is supposed to fall out of love from her fascinating, good looking fiancé Victor (Gael Garcia Bernal) and fall for the flat, and fully boring Charlie (Christopher Egan). I think that made Seyfried's character seem even more obnoxious.

I did not like Seyfried's "acting", but considering how bad the script was, I guess it is hard to expect anything good would come out of it. What I don't understand is why an excellent actress like Vanessa Redgrave agreed to play the role of Claire. By the way, the fact that Claire's husband is conveniently dead, and she ends up finding her teenage-beau in Italy, whose wife is ALSO conveniently dead is really beyond corny...

Honestly, I think that the script-writers could have been able to work out a better story out of the letters to Romeo's Julia left behind in the streets of Verona...