Letters to Juliet

A pleasant and consistently engaging romance, Letters to Juliet follows a New York-based fact checker (Amanda Seyfried’s Sophie) as she and her betrothed (Gael Garcia Bernal’s Victor) embark on a pre-honeymoon trip to Italy – where Sophie eventually encounters an older woman (Vanessa Redgrave’s Claire) who is attempting to track down the man that she loved more than 50 years ago. The ensuing road trip to find said man effectively forces Sophie to re-examine her own relationship, with the presence of Claire’s skeptical yet charming grandson (Christopher Egan’s Charlie) undoubtedly complicating the issue. It’s a rather familiar premise that’s employed to consistently entertaining effect by director Gary Winick, although, admittedly, the viewer is prevented from wholeheartedly embracing the narrative at the outset as a result of Jose Rivera and Tim Sullivan’s almost excessively free-wheeling screenplay. The pervasively affable atmosphere, propelled by the undeniably breathtaking scenery, does ensure that the film holds one’s interest even through its less-than-enthralling stretches, however, with the introduction of Redgrave’s character playing an instrumental role in Letters to Juliet‘s transformation from passable time-waster to surprisingly engrossing drama. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Seyfried offers up a typically personable turn as the central character – with her marvelously charismatic work heightened by the palpable chemistry she shares with co-star Egan (which, in turn, ensures that the thoroughly heartwarming finale packs quite an emotional punch). And although Winick sort of prolongs the inevitable in terms of Sophie and Charlie’s expected coupling, Letters to Juliet finally establishes itself as an above average romance that stands head and shoulders above many contemporary romcoms.

*** out of ****