Meredith-7

I saw the preview so many times involuntarily that in the end i decided to see this movie. Romantic films are not my favourite genre, but there was something pure about this film. The Italian countryside is lovely and the main characters are convincing. yes, it is predictable and has no bearing on "real life" but that is precisely what these films are for; to suspend disbelief and just watch a film for pure enjoyment. For what it is worth I definitely recommend this. I can almost forgive Amanda Seyfried for Mamma Mia after watching this and Vanessa Redgrave is always going to be good even if the material she is given may not be completely up to scratch.

The only reason I know this film exists is because I wanted to see what Nancy McKeon had been up to since The Facts of Life ended. When I searched her name, up came this relatively new TV movie. After much investigation I managed to locate a copy & was thoroughly disappointed with what I viewed. D Grade acting, poor script, terrible FX - it was like watching a toned down, more stupefied version of Day After Tomorrow that went for 3 hours. Despite the long running time the characters remain fairly under-developed, we do not care about them in the slightest & in most cases are longing for their demise. Combine that with terrible lighting & cinematography & you have a real disaster of a film. How they con-viced so many "name" actors (i.e Dianne Weist, Randy Quaid, Brian Dennehy) to appear in such trash is mind-blowing. In summary - I want those 3 hours of my life back!!!

This film was of interest to me mainly because of some of the supporting actors involved, especially Zooey Deschanel, Melanie Lynskey & Gabrielle Union. While they kept me from switching this off half way, it really is a tedious & ultimately bland & predictable psychological "thriller" It's another film where Katie Holmes shows her distinct lack of any real acting ability (a pre-cursor to Batman Begins perhaps?) While there is the occasional spark of originality, this film is too pretentious for it's own good. It's part Gossip, part Talented Mister Ripley, with a bit of Poison Ivy thrown in for good measure. Unless you are a MAJOR Katie Holmes fan don't watch this rubbish - there are many far superior thrillers out there to indulge in.