That aside, the turnout and response to the film -- to be released on September 26th -- were both very positive. I saw the film in a theater of about 150 seats, and by the time the lights dimmed for the trailers to begin, every single one of them was filled. (And yes, some of those split up over the scarcity of seats did complain.)

Touchtone Pictures, the distributor of "Tuscan Sun," smartly attached a trailer for their "Calendar Girls," a comedy whose audience is almost exactly that of the film in which we were about to see: women and more specifically, older women. I hadn't read or heard very much about "Calendar Girls" beforehand, but the trailer was actually pretty funny. It's about a group of women (most of which in their 50's) who get the radical idea to each pose nude for a calendar in order to offer support for one of their husband's cancer treatment. (Apparently, it was his request, the devil.)

Seeing as though 75% of the audience was at or near those ages, the trailer received a great response – a lot of laughter, whispering, and clapping ensued. (Thankfully, none of the women in the audience felt inclined to stand up and be Miss September, if you know what I mean.) For those interested, the film will hit theaters come Christmas.

Next, the second of oddly only two trailers, was "Veronica Guerin," the Cate Blanchett drama/thriller based on a true story. Blanchett portrays the title character – an Irish journalist who gets far too deep into a story, and ultimately (as I was informed by the chatter following the trailer) was murdered because of her investigation. I believe the film was postponed from late last year (perhaps we have an Oscar hopeful?) and is now gunning for a release in October. I had seen the trailer previously, and still believe the film looks very good.

Those around me, though (still and silent throughout the preview), seemed to enjoy the trailer as well. Following its end, many talked amongst themselves. As I mentioned, one woman told her husband (behind me) that Guerin, in real life, had been murdered, and others seemed to be saying things like how sad it was that they wanted to see it, questioning who Cate Blanchett is, and why she cut her hair. Did I mention the audience consisted of women?

There weren't any further trailers, which seemed kind of weird at first, but I was kind of relieved. This way I wouldn't have to sit through the previews (a part of moviegoing I actually do love) and hear people complain about how many there are, and that they didn't pay money to see commercials. (Side comment: isn't it embarrassing how grown adults can complain so much at the movie theater? No offense, but come on people, just come late then. You're just another annoyance to put up with when you do that.) Anyway, the film starts rather quickly with minimal credits, jumping right into the first scene introducing Lane.

Throughout the film, people seemed pretty loose and willing to laugh with the film when necessary. The film isn't entirely funny being a comedy-drama, but there are enough light jokes to get a slight crowd effect. The effect is that much more enhanced when you sit near an Italian woman who laughs at things said in Italian, while you, an English-speaking individual, has to then get caught up to speed. (True story...)

When the film ended, the usual burst of whispers were filled with mostly positive feedback like, for example: "That was cute" or "I liked that," along with "Yeah, me too." It didn't seem that people were incredibly impressed with the movie, but far from being negative about it. It was additionally fun to hear what some older people had to say about the film. "That's such a great place -- so pretty, you know?" was something I heard throwing away my drink. Had we seen a movie or taken a two-hour trip to Italy? Apparently not everyone there had been on the same page.

My opinion of the film may have been a bit less than others was, but I'm a movie critic – we're put here in theaters to be more, well, critical than everyone else. "Under the Tuscan Sun" is the type of film that girls will bring their "girl friends" to see and likely enjoy because of a whimsical, romantic plot. I, however, went for a different reason: Diane Lane. She's an incredibly talented actress and I was thoroughly interested to see her follow-up to last year's "Unfaithful." (And yes, I think she’s gorgeous.)

Although this may not have been the most reliable of motives walking in, I wasn't bias because of it. Females sometimes accuse me of not liking "chick flicks" such as this one, but I'm really not; they may not be collectively my kind of movies, but I can appreciate a good film as being just that. "Tuscan Sun" lies somewhere in the middle, though, between good and bad. Lane gives a strong performance, but the film as a whole lacked the substance I had expected.