Review: Letters to Juliet

"Of course, the balcony"

Summary from IMDB:
An American girl on vacation in Italy finds an unanswered "letter to Juliet" -- one of thousands of missives left at the fictional lover's Verona courtyard, which are typically answered by a the "secretaries of Juliet" -- and she goes on a quest to find the lovers referenced in the letter



My Thoughts
First, I have to say I can't get enough of this movie after watching it. I was a little tentative at the beginning even after watching the behind-the-scenes. The curiosity of Juliet's secretaries answering letters left on Verona and the possible mishaps along the way did tickle my intrigue.  However, I was afraid it would turn out into a ho-hum sort of movie for me but I was proved wrong

The scenes that most will people scream cliche were stylishly poked at the viewer but it didn't come out annoying at all. Unlike some rom-com movies that you know it's going to happen and the scene has fallen flat when it came passing by. Perhaps it was because the movie was carried by two pairs of confident shoulders: Amanda Seyfied (Mamma Mia) and Christopher Egan (Kings) who reigned in the prickly, thorny, gotten-off-the-wrong foot kind of thing relationship just right and didn't go overboard. In fact, I was relieved Sophie wasn't depicted as know-it-all-rationalizing-when's-my-turn-chic. She was headstrong (she worked as a fact checker for the New Yorker) but in a quiet way. She has a dream that she wants to pursue but her job and her boss (altho he wasn't really tying her hands) weren't making it happen at the moment. However, when her boss gave her a tiny glimmer of hope that he will read her work, she beamed and perhaps this could also wash over the doldrums  and faced whatever challenge she was facing her fiance, Victor, only that ray of cheer may not be enough.

Sophia and Victor
Where to begin that even a bystander can see the relationship was spiraling down the drain. Victor (portrayed by Gael Garcia Bernal) here provided some of the hilarity much to the expense of Sophia wanting at least a semblance of togetherness in the most romantic places (next to Paris) in the whole world yet it wasn't happening. In order to chill her boredom, Sophia decided that Victor should go the winery since the tour of the lovely city wasn't happening. Victor all happy that he was given this chance (and promised to make it up) left like a giddy kid in a candy store. However, all is not lost... Sophia on a look out for a story stumbled upon the Secretaries of Juliet and a 50-year-old letter. She was soon encouraged to answer and before you knew it, Claire with her grandson arrived in Verona and the adventure goes underway.

It was great that Sophia's skill as a fact-checker become instrumental in eliminating so many Lorenzo in Verona and when everyone was on their last strand of hope, luck would push to lead them to the right Lorenzo.

Charlie, through the whole experience of it was trading barbs most of the times  with Sophia but in between he can be  personable when he wants too. Hahaha.

The soundtrack was so apt to include Italian contemporary music. I think there was even an Italian pop group there too in the mix. I would like to get a copy of it when I get a chance. :D

I recommend this rom-com for anyone enjoys Amanda Seyfied, Christopher Egan and Vanessa Redgrave performances.

A 5/5 for me.