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Summer may be known for the big-budget action and effects of movies like .com/articles/10/NW1000191.php>Iron Man 2—but summer has more to offer than testosterone-fueled adventures. After all, while the boys are off watching their favorite superheroes blow things up, the girls need to be able to go their own way, to enjoy breezy summer romances like Letters to Juliet.
Amanda Seyfried is Sophie, an aspiring journalist who’s vacationing in Verona with her fiancé, Victor (Gael García Bernal). Victor’s about to open a restaurant in New York, though, and their romantic getaway quickly turns into a business trip—so while Victor’s visiting vineyards and tasting cheeses, Sophie explores Verona. On a visit to the famed home of Shakespeare’s Juliet, she watches as women write letters to Juliet. Then, each evening, the letters are taken away, and a group of women known as the Secretaries of Juliet reply to each one.
One evening, as Sophie helps her new friends retrieve the letters, she finds one that’s been hidden for more than 50 years—a letter from Claire, a British girl who’s heartbroken over lost love. Sophie is moved to write a response, which inspires Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) to travel to Italy to search for the man she left behind.
With Victor away at a wine auction, Sophie joins Claire and her skeptical grandson, Charlie (Christopher Egan), on a mission to find Claire’s long-lost love, Lorenzo.
The gorgeous views of the Tuscan countryside and the streets of Verona alone would be enough to make you fall in love with Letters to Juliet. But it’s more than just a bunch of pretty pictures. The story may be predictable (thanks to the trailer, which gives everything away), but Redgrave and Seyfried take a formulaic chick flick and turn it into something more: an enchanting story about finding friendship and true love (at any age). Redgrave is absolutely perfect as Claire—sweet, loving, and so very hopeful—and the two women form such a beautiful bond as they travel through Italy that you’ll long for a friendship like theirs.
But Claire’s isn’t the only love story. From the moment that Charlie shows up in Verona and berates Sophie for giving his poor gran crazy ideas, you’ll know that a spark between them is inevitable. As the romantic tension between them builds, though, you can’t help but feel sorry for poor Victor. He’s such an adorable character—so passionate, so excited about his future—yet he’s vilified for it. Sure, he spends most of his trip to Verona working. He doesn’t spend every waking moment following Sophie around, telling her how beautiful and wonderful and talented she is. But you can’t really blame a guy who’s about to open a restaurant for being a bit distracted.
You’ve got to hand it to Gael García Bernal for stealing the show in a minor role. But he makes his character so likable that you might have a hard time rooting for Sophie and Charlie—because she’s already got a perfectly good fiancé (who’s often more lovable than moody, sullen Charlie).
Still, you’re sure to get caught up in the beauty, the friendship, and the romance of Letters to Juliet. As Sophie’s boss tells her after she submits her story on Claire’s adventure, you might want to buy stock in Alitalia—because, after seeing Letters to Juliet, audiences will be racing out to book their flights to Verona.
