Letters to Juliet

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Letters to Juliet is a 2010 romantic drama starring Amanda Seyfried and Chris Egan, Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero. It is the tale of Sophie, a young American who travels on a "pre-honeymoon" with fiance Victor to the city of Verona, which was the home of the star-crossed lover Juliet Capulet of Romeo and Juliet fame, where she joins a group of volunteers who respond to letters to Juliet seeking advice about love while her fiance drives round northern Italy looking at mushrooms and cheeses.

One letter dated 1957 falls out from behind a brick and describes how a young British girl, Claire, left her lover, Lorenzo Bartolini, waiting under their tree and went back to England. Sophie replies to Claire which inspires Claire to travel to Italy in search of her long-lost love (dragging along her grandson Charlie). The three of them set off on a trip round Tuscany to find all the men named Lorenzo Bartollini. She will know the right one by his eyes. Sophie hopes to write an article on it for her magazine and earn a promotion to writer as she is only a fact-checker.

After finding many wrong men with the right name, including a blind one, a chess player and a kingpin, they find a dead one. Charlie is very upset with Sophie for disappointing his Grandmother tells her that his Gran is all he has now he's lost his parents and she doesn't know what real loss is. They make up at breakfast and Charlie later kisses Sophie under the stars. After finding the correct Lorenzo, Charlie is dismayed that he kissed Sophie since she's engaged to another man. She goes back to Verona and Charlie chases her but as he gets there he sees Victor hug her and so he leaves.

Victor and Sophie return to New York and her article will be published but her boss wonders how the story ended. Victor didn't even read her article and she breaks up with him and travels to Claire and Lorenzo's wedding alone. After a slight confusion between girlfriends and cousins with the same name, Sophie and Charlie admits their feeling via a balcony (of course) and kiss.

The End.

(This was director Gary Winick's final film before his early demise at 49.)

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Tropes used in Letters to Juliet include:

• Based on a True Story: The Secretaries of Juliet are real and paid by the city of Verona.
• Deadpan Snarker: Charlie is great at this. When Claire describes picnicking in the dirt:

Sophie:That's so romantic. Charlie:What's romantic about eating in the dirt?

• December-December Romance: Claire and Lorenzo.
• Disposable Fiance: Victor, naturally.
• Fake Brit: Chris Egan playing Charlie is Australian.
• Identical Grandson: The two Lorenzos at the end are said to be identical.
• Informed Ability: Averted. Sophie's letter to Claire is very well written, making it clear that she really was wasting her life as a fact checker when she should have been pursuing her dreams as a writer.
• It's for a Book: Sophie's reasoning for tagging along.
• Jerkass: Maybe he didn't mean to be but due to having his head in the clouds, Victor neglects Sophie throughout the movie and it is mainly for this reason that he becomes a Disposable Fiance.
• Kissing Cousins: Averted, but it does lead to a Crowning Moment of Funny.
• Lampshade Hanging:

Charlie: "Of course, a balcony."

• Missing Mom: Sophie has one.
• Name's the Same: Most of the middle is finding the correct Lorenzo Bartolini.
• One Steve Limit: Subverted as there are at least a dozen Lorenzo Bartolinis and the two Patricias cause confusion to Sophie.
• Parental Marriage Veto: The reason Claire and Lorenzo did not marry in 1957.
• Race For Your Love: Subverted as he gets there but gives up.
• Real Life Relative: Loranzo and Claire broke up, married other people, reunited and married in real life.
• Romantic False Lead: One for each love interest, Victor and Patricia.
• Scenery Porn: A review described it as an advert for the Tuscan tourist board.
• Shipper on Deck: Claire and Sophie for the other's relationship.
• Shout-Out: To Romeo and Juliet. Also, the beginning is a slideshow of kissing couples (and animals), most of them famous paintings or photos... except for one.
• Trailers Always Spoil: Have you seen the trailer? If so, you probably don't need to see the movie but you should anyway.
• Hey, It's That Guy!: Patricia the cousin at the wedding is played by Ashley Lilley, who also played Ali, one of Amanda Seyfried's bridesmaids in Mamma Mia!. Coincidentally, both characters played by Amanda Seyfried are named Sophie.
• Your Princess Is in Another Castle: Sophie's boss wonders this prompting the final twenty minutes.