Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), works for The New Yorker as a fact checker. She wishes to become a writer, but she never has the courage to ask her boss. Before she heads to Italy for a pre-honeymoon with fiancé Victor (Gael Garcia Bernal), she asks her boss one last time to bring a story back with her. He insists that he can’t lose such a good fact checker like herself, and she leaves dejected.
Upon arriving in Italy, Victor, who is a chef, quickly becomes obsessed with the local cuisine and learning as much as possible there for his new restaurant back in New York. Eventually Sophie lets him do what he wants and explores the country by herself. She stumbles upon a courtyard depicting Shakespeare’s Verona and Juliet’s balcony. Later that day she sees women collecting the letters other distraught women had pinned to the wall, and upon following them she learns that they are the secretaries of Juliet – women who are employed to answer the heartsick letters.
Sophie joins them the following day and finds an old letter hidden in a nook in the wall. The letter, written by a Claire, asks Juliet if she should go after her heart and go away with a man she is sure her parents won’t approve of. Even though the letter is from 1957, Sophie replies and sends it away.
A few days later, Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) shows up. Upon reading Sophie’s letter, she returns to Italy with the hope to find her lost love Lorenzo Bartolini. Joining her is her grandson Charlie (Christopher Egan), a difficult, pompous Englishman who now despises Sophie for making him accompany his elderly grandmother to another country. Sophie and Charlie immediately dislike each other, and he is irritated when his grandmother invites Sophie along on the search.
The gap between Sophie and Victor keeps on widening. They occasionally talk, but it is clear that his first love is his business. On the trip, Sophie realises that Charlie isn’t that bad, and that he is simply concerned that his grandmother will get her feelings hurt if things don’t work out.
They meet many Lorenzo Bartolinnis across Italy, but the real Lorenzo is still missing. When they find a gravesite for one of the Lorenzos, Clare is sad and Charlie ultimately blames Sophie for it. His grandmother once again scolds him and he apologises.
Will Clare find her Lorenzo? Will Sophie and Victor be able to work through their issues?
Rating: 7/10
Letters to Juliet is a good one. It didn’t bore me at any time, and has a good enough storyline to not make anyone fall asleep. It is primarily a love story about an old woman with enough courage to once again search for the love she lost. Everything else falls into second place as it is so sweet to see. Vanessa Redgrave is really the epitome of true beauty. If I can age as gracefully I would be so content with life! Amanda Seyfried is once again enjoyable. She has a sweet disposition and it comes through strongly. I enjoyed Christopher Egan – it is the first movie I’ve seen him in, and hope to see some others too soon. His sarcastic, annoyed character was so much fun. I was a bit disappointed with his declaration at the end – it deviated completely from who he is. That was my only issue with the movie – not how it ended, but how it all went down.
But it is good.
Fun Fact: Vanessa Redgrave is married to Franco Nero, who plays Lorenzo Bartolini. So sweet.
Life of this city girl 
Pingback: 5 Things Friday Valentines Edition: 5 Romantic movies that won’t make you puke because it’s so lame | Life of this city girl