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Under the Tuscan Sun (Movie Preview)
by Stephen Lucas

"Under the Tuscan Sun" may not be the best film to guide her in the direction of superstardom because, truthfully, the audience for this particular film seems more limited than one would have hoped for a film to put Lane on the map, for good.

There was serious talk of her starring opposite Bruce Willis in the "Memento"-like thriller, "Me Again," but after a series of legal debacles, that film will most likely not be hitting theaters any time soon. However, to take her situation as it sits (as "Tuscan" is about to hit theaters September 25th), she is far from being mediocre.

What she has here is a film (of which quality we cannot yet determine) that could likely give her that step-up she needs to hold her own in a bigger picture of her own. The film is small enough yet big enough for Diane Lane to establish herself as an actress (as being the one name lighting up the marquee). Imagine if Lane was given a large budget picture to carry herself right after "Unfaithful" and it ends up not fulfilling high expectations; she'd then be seen as a failure, and her career would inevitably suffer yet again.

Bad luck is one thing, but timing is worse. "Under the Tuscan Sun" is not too much of a gamble for Touchtone Pictures (the studio releasing the film) -- it’s modestly budgeted and could possibly boost Lane's profile, but doubtfully do much harm to it.

Actresses like Angelina Jolie continue to work stable lives despite streaks of financial and critical disappointments. This past summer Jolie hit a particularly bad spot, though, when the costly "Tomb Raider" sequel sank below expectations despite the film getting generally better reviews than its predecessor.

Her career now may be in great jeopardy if her next two projects (the October drama/thriller "Beyond Borders," co-starring Clive Owen and her 2004 release, "Taking Lives," both tank). Unlike Jolie, though, Lane isn't risking quite as much as of now -- "Tuscan" could both be a sleeper success, and build upon Lane's notoriety with audiences, but also there's a chance it doesn't so well and in that case, won't affect her career much.

Perhaps what Lane’s career needed was time, and now she has it, along with several new opportunities with her recent Oscar nomination. Jolie, who won an Oscar for her work in 1999's "Girl, Interrupted," found a lot of work following her win, but now the credibility she worked up is starting to run thin. In Lane's case, however, there are still many windows of opportunity open. No one can shy away from the fact that Lane did breathtaking work in "Unfaithful." Therefore, it seems, as though there will be plenty of options for her to choose from for a while to come.

"Under the Tuscan Sun" opens at the end of September, notoriously the slowest film at the box office, which may come to be to its advantage. September releases such as "Matchstick Men" and "Underworld" caters to very different audiences compared to "Tuscan," and so counter marketing may prove itself successful (it has before).

Female audiences will obviously be at the core of this film's audience and would be the ones to propel the suggested success, as they have before with films like "Bridget Jones' Diary" (which coincidentally made Renee Zellweger one of the newest and most talked-about hot actresses) a must have. Granted, her breakthrough was in "Jerry Maguire," but women didn't really see that movie for her.

The question of which way I think "Under the Tuscan Sun" will sway in the end is quite tough to put my finger on. There are so many surprises at the theaters -- some bad, others good. Diane Lane has been in the spotlight for over a year now, still glowing with "Unfaithful," and perhaps now making a strong shot at stardom, Lane's time has come.

After a long career with its share of highs and lows, Lane may hopefully get the attention and respect she so rightfully deserves from audiences. However, if things don't end up quite so well for her new film, there's no reason to worry -- she has the talent, and wherever there is talent, there is hope.


Tuscan Sun Total US Box Office: $43.602000 million

Stephen's Review: May not be the best of films to satisfy [Lane's] talent, but by no means squanders it. [ C+ ]
Greg's Review: The dialogue is fresh, with one-liners that are funny, and moments of emotion that actually make the audience sympathetic to the characters in the story. [ B+ ]
Visitor Rating Average: B- (22 votes)
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