Letters to Juliet - 7 stars out of 10

Letters to Juliet - 7 stars out of 10

I'm so glad that Amanda Seyfried has finally been given a good role in which she could show her acting talents.  Films like "Red Riding Hood" and "Mamma Mia" have made her look average at best, but her portrayal of Sophie in "Letters to Juliet" is outstanding.  I respect the fact that this film had several opportunities to become a typical chick flick but abandoned them in favor of drama and realism.  The writers throw a lot at you with two love stories, drifting lovers, and a search for identity, but a good screenplay creates a marriage of these themes without overwhelming the audience.  Vanessa Redgrave was wonderful and Gael Garcia Bernal was very entertaining, despite having a smaller role than I expected.  All of these positive factors take place against a beautiful Italian landscape in a film whose titular letter-writing process has little to do with 90% of the movie.  In spite of its misleading title, "Leters to Juliet" is a good chick flick whose unpredictability will keep you guessing and leave a tear in your eye.