Bring one blonde girl, one handsome Englishman, one veteran actress and Verona together, and you've got a sweet, light-hearted romantic story. Letters to Juliet simply works.
Amanda Seyfried stars as Sophie, a fact-checker for the New Yorker who longs to be a writer. She's engaged to Victor, a workaholic, but often ignores the relationship's complications. Together, she and Victor take a "˜pre-honeymoon' to Verona, the famous location of Romeo and Juliet. Forced to venture into the city alone while Victor is preoccupied with business, Sophie discovers a wall where thousands of women, both young and old, write letters to Juliet asking for advice about love. After following a woman collecting the letters, she finds that there are women who take these letters from the wall daily to respond to them, and it's not long before Sophie is invited to do the same.
While Victor remains distracted, Sophie stumbles upon a letter hidden in the wall many years ago, never replied to. Soon after Sophie pens a note to this long-lost soul, she is contacted and finds herself on a road trip with Claire (Vanessa Redgrave), searching for her true love. Along for the ride is Charlie (Chris Egan), Claire's grandson, who believes only in reality, brushing aside the chance his grandmother's search will end in happiness.
The scenery is breathtaking, taking us through the sunsets and hills of Italy. The music also added to the mood of each situation. There really was nothing here that wasn't in line with the airy, peaceful, romantic feel of Letters to Juliet. One of the best characters was actually played by the workaholic fiancee, Gael GarcÃa Bernal. He couldn't have acted the part more perfectly. And when Vanessa Redgrave was on screen, you never thought of her as anyone but Claire, the woman who needed to find her long lost Lorenzo before it was too late.
Additionally, the lines and events pulled the film forward, as we began to hope that everyone found true love. Amanda Seyfried could have played the part a little less mopey, but fortunately the cast around her kept it from being too noticeable. There was plausible hatred and chemistry between her and Charlie, as their relationship took twists and turns up until the very end.
Letters to Juliet doesn't compare to classic love stories; certain scenes are just too sappy. But if you're in the right mindset and enjoy journeys searching for love, then Letters to Juliet won't disappoint.
