Letters to Juliet

With the Gulf of Mexico slathered in oil, some of Nerd trying to blow up Times Square and a large part of Nashville staggering under 16 inches rain, it was a great relief to take a seat and let the romantic comedy, "Letters to Juliet" take you away and prove once again that love conquers all.

Even if a romantic comedy sets your teeth on edge, the scenery and marvelous visuals created by the company's cinematographer, Marco Pontecorvo are worth the price of admission. He is responsible for soothing, sweeping scenes of the Verona and Tuscany environs that are almost like oil paintings in their construction and design. He shot several episodes of The massive "Rome" series that HBO produced in 2005 - 07, so his credits are impeccable.

Now to the plot. Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) goes on holiday in Verona with her fiancée Victor(Gael Garcia Bernal) who is opening and Italian restaurant in New York. He is absorbed with meeting his local vendors and learning as much as he can about Italian cuisine. Victor tears off to the countryside leaving Sophie alone, but not for long. She stumbles into the place where ladies in love write letters to Juliet, hoping for a thoughtful response to their dilemma. After all this is Verona.

Intrigued by this process, Sophie locates the ladies who answer the letters to Juliet and attaches herself to them. She unearths a very old letter written by a young woman did not meet her lover and have an affair of the heart because she went back home. The angst in the letter fascinates Sophie who writes such an intriguing answer that the writer, Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) appears with her grandson Charlie( Christopher Egan.) She hopes to find her amour of 50 years ago. Sophie encourages her to search for him while Charlie provides the plot conflict by seeing the entire enterprise as useless and a recipe for heartbreak.

After driving across scenic Northern Italy, the former lover is found and still has teeth and hair and lots of money and a huge estate. Fait accompli! Sophie and Charlie have a serious attraction for one another and you won't be surprised at the ending.

Its good to see Vanessa be so mellow. Always a firebrand in life as well on film or theater,in this role she is delicate, wise and wistful. Not a veil she wear lightly, but it works, although in some scenes she does seem to be a bit wobbly. Perhaps that's supposed to be fey...Quien sabe?

Gael Garcia Bernal is exquisite as the intense, enthusiastic chef more interested in food than in Sophie. Go figure.

"Letters to Juliet" is a lovely respite from reality and easy on the eye.