Letters to Juliet
Encyclopedia
Letters to Juliet is a 2010 American romantic comedy
drama film starring Amanda Seyfried
, Chris Egan, Vanessa Redgrave
, Gael García Bernal
, and Franco Nero
. This was the final film of director Gary Winick
before he died of brain cancer. The film was released theatrically in North America and other countries on May 14, 2010. The idea for the film was inspired by the 2006 non-fiction book, "Letters to Juliet", by Lise Friedman and Ceil Friedman, which chronicles the phenomenon of letter writing to Shakespeare's most famous romantic heroine.
) is a young American woman who works for The New Yorker
as a fact checker
. To put some spark in her life, she decides to go on a 'pre-honeymoon' with her chef fiancé Victor (Gael García Bernal
) to Verona
, Italy. However the workaholic Victor is unmoved by the romance of Italy and utilizes his time to rather do research for his soon-to-open restaurant, ignoring Sophie. The lonely Sophie discovers by chance an unanswered "letter to Juliet" by a Claire Smith from 1957—one of thousands of missives left at the fictional lover's Verona courtyard, which are typically answered by the "secretaries of Juliet". She answers it and soon enough the now elderly Claire (Vanessa Redgrave
) arrives in Verona with her handsome barrister grandson Charlie (Chris Egan), who works for human rights.
Claire and Sophie take an instant liking to each other with Charlie behaving very brusquely with Sophie while she is very sarcastic with him. On the other hand, Claire is still looking to rediscover her long lost love, Lorenzo Bartolini (Franco Nero
). Sophie, thinking Claire's story might help her with her writing career, decides to help Claire in her quest. What happens next is a story of romantic twists and turns. They find out that there are multiple Lorenzo Bartolinis and must figure out which one is Claire's love. After many days of searching for the right one, they find that one of the Lorenzo Bartolinis is dead. An angry Charlie blames Sophie for his grandmother's sadness. He accuses her of not knowing what real loss is, which causes an upset Sophie to walk away. Claire, seeing the little dispute, tells Charlie that he was wrong and that Sophie's mother had walked away from her when she was a little girl. The next day, Claire insists that Charlie apologize to Sophie at breakfast, and he does. After dinner, Sophie goes out with Charlie and talks to him about love, when he impulsively kisses her. The next morning, is their last day of searching for Claire's long lost love. On a whim, Claire points out a vineyard to Charlie and asks if he could stop by so the three of them can have a farewell drink for Sophie. As Charlie drives down the road, Claire sees a young man who looks exactly like her Lorenzo. She yells at Charlie to stop, and he complies. They discover that the man is Lorenzo Bartolini's grandson. Claire and Lorenzo reunite after fifty long years.
Back in New York, Sophie breaks up with Victor before returning to Verona to attend Claire and Lorenzo's wedding. She finds Charlie there with another woman, Patricia, and runs out. Charlie comes to find her (in a classic balcony setting) and she admits she loves him, but tells him to go back to his date. Telling Sophie that the woman was actually his cousin Patricia, not his ex-girlfriend Patricia, he tells her he loves her and wants to be with her. He accidentally falls off the balcony and they kiss as he is lying on the ground.
reports that 40% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 138 reviews, with an average score of 5.1/10. Metacritic
gave it an average score of 50 out of 100 from the 34 reviews it collected.
s second weekend and Robin Hood
. In its second weekend, the film dropped 33.5% with $9,006,266 into #4. The film eventually has grossed $53,032,453 domestically and $79,181,750 worldwide.
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
drama film starring Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Michelle Seyfried is an American actress, singer-songwriter and former child model. She began her career as a child model when she was 11, and at 15 began her career as an actress, starting off with uncredited roles and moving on to recurring roles on As the World Turns and All My...
, Chris Egan, Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
, Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal is a Mexican film actor and director.-Early life:García Bernal was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, the son of Patricia Bernal, an actress and former model, and José Ángel García, an actor and director. His stepfather is Sergio Yazbek, whom his mother married when García Bernal was...
, and Franco Nero
Franco Nero
Franco Nero is an Italian actor.-Early life:Nero was born Francesco Sparanero in San Prospero Parmense , the son of a sergeant in the...
. This was the final film of director Gary Winick
Gary Winick
Gary Winick was an American film director and producer who directed films such as Tadpole and 13 Going on 30...
before he died of brain cancer. The film was released theatrically in North America and other countries on May 14, 2010. The idea for the film was inspired by the 2006 non-fiction book, "Letters to Juliet", by Lise Friedman and Ceil Friedman, which chronicles the phenomenon of letter writing to Shakespeare's most famous romantic heroine.
Plot
Sophie (Amanda SeyfriedAmanda Seyfried
Amanda Michelle Seyfried is an American actress, singer-songwriter and former child model. She began her career as a child model when she was 11, and at 15 began her career as an actress, starting off with uncredited roles and moving on to recurring roles on As the World Turns and All My...
) is a young American woman who works for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
as a fact checker
Fact checker
A fact checker is the person who checks factual assertions in non-fictional text, usually intended for publication in a periodical, to determine their veracity and correctness...
. To put some spark in her life, she decides to go on a 'pre-honeymoon' with her chef fiancé Victor (Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal is a Mexican film actor and director.-Early life:García Bernal was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, the son of Patricia Bernal, an actress and former model, and José Ángel García, an actor and director. His stepfather is Sergio Yazbek, whom his mother married when García Bernal was...
) to Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
, Italy. However the workaholic Victor is unmoved by the romance of Italy and utilizes his time to rather do research for his soon-to-open restaurant, ignoring Sophie. The lonely Sophie discovers by chance an unanswered "letter to Juliet" by a Claire Smith from 1957—one of thousands of missives left at the fictional lover's Verona courtyard, which are typically answered by the "secretaries of Juliet". She answers it and soon enough the now elderly Claire (Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
) arrives in Verona with her handsome barrister grandson Charlie (Chris Egan), who works for human rights.
Claire and Sophie take an instant liking to each other with Charlie behaving very brusquely with Sophie while she is very sarcastic with him. On the other hand, Claire is still looking to rediscover her long lost love, Lorenzo Bartolini (Franco Nero
Franco Nero
Franco Nero is an Italian actor.-Early life:Nero was born Francesco Sparanero in San Prospero Parmense , the son of a sergeant in the...
). Sophie, thinking Claire's story might help her with her writing career, decides to help Claire in her quest. What happens next is a story of romantic twists and turns. They find out that there are multiple Lorenzo Bartolinis and must figure out which one is Claire's love. After many days of searching for the right one, they find that one of the Lorenzo Bartolinis is dead. An angry Charlie blames Sophie for his grandmother's sadness. He accuses her of not knowing what real loss is, which causes an upset Sophie to walk away. Claire, seeing the little dispute, tells Charlie that he was wrong and that Sophie's mother had walked away from her when she was a little girl. The next day, Claire insists that Charlie apologize to Sophie at breakfast, and he does. After dinner, Sophie goes out with Charlie and talks to him about love, when he impulsively kisses her. The next morning, is their last day of searching for Claire's long lost love. On a whim, Claire points out a vineyard to Charlie and asks if he could stop by so the three of them can have a farewell drink for Sophie. As Charlie drives down the road, Claire sees a young man who looks exactly like her Lorenzo. She yells at Charlie to stop, and he complies. They discover that the man is Lorenzo Bartolini's grandson. Claire and Lorenzo reunite after fifty long years.
Back in New York, Sophie breaks up with Victor before returning to Verona to attend Claire and Lorenzo's wedding. She finds Charlie there with another woman, Patricia, and runs out. Charlie comes to find her (in a classic balcony setting) and she admits she loves him, but tells him to go back to his date. Telling Sophie that the woman was actually his cousin Patricia, not his ex-girlfriend Patricia, he tells her he loves her and wants to be with her. He accidentally falls off the balcony and they kiss as he is lying on the ground.
Cast
- Amanda SeyfriedAmanda SeyfriedAmanda Michelle Seyfried is an American actress, singer-songwriter and former child model. She began her career as a child model when she was 11, and at 15 began her career as an actress, starting off with uncredited roles and moving on to recurring roles on As the World Turns and All My...
as Sophie Hall, a fact checker living in New York. She goes on a pre-honeymoon with her fiance to Verona, Italy. While sightseeing, she finds "Juliet's House" with weeping women writing letters and leaving them there. She follows a young woman who takes the letters, and while helping her the next day, she finds a 50-year old letter and decides to write back, leading her to meet Claire, the woman who had written the letter. She embarks on a journey with Claire and her grandson Charlie to find Claire's long lost love. She is Charlie's love interest. - Chris Egan as Charlie Wyman, Claire's unpleasant grandson (as he described himself). Although he appears to be like that, and also grumpy, Claire explains that he has a good heart, like his grandfather. Charlie soon develops a relationship with Sophie, and he becomes her love interest.
- Vanessa RedgraveVanessa RedgraveVanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
as Claire Smith-Wyman, the girl who wrote the letter to Juliet 50 years before. Sophie meets her after Charlie goes to Juliet's secretaries, and she follows him. She is a kind woman, and develops a close friendship with Sophie as they search for her Lorenzo, her long lost love whom she fell in love with when they were fifteen. Her parents did not approve of him, and they were separated. - Franco NeroFranco NeroFranco Nero is an Italian actor.-Early life:Nero was born Francesco Sparanero in San Prospero Parmense , the son of a sergeant in the...
as Lorenzo Bartolini, Claire's love interest and long lost love. He met her when they were fifteen years old, in Verona. Claire's parents did not approve of him, and soon they were separated. His son and grandson are both named Lorenzo Bartolini, and they work at a grape vineyard. Nero is Redgrave's real life husband. Roger Ebert, having interviewed both Nero and Redgrave on the set of CamelotCamelot (film)Camelot is a 1967 film adaptation of the musical of the same name. Richard Harris stars as Arthur, Vanessa Redgrave as Guinevere, and Franco Nero as Lancelot. The film was directed by Joshua Logan.-Plot:...
, noted how much of the love story between their characters is nearly autobiographical. - Gael García BernalGael García BernalGael García Bernal is a Mexican film actor and director.-Early life:García Bernal was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, the son of Patricia Bernal, an actress and former model, and José Ángel García, an actor and director. His stepfather is Sergio Yazbek, whom his mother married when García Bernal was...
as Victor, Sophie's chef fiance. He is constantly busy and barely has time with Sophie. Most of the time during their time in Verona, he is away in some other town while Sophie helps Claire and Charlie. He is even interested in the Juliet's secretaries' kitchen's recipes. - Luisa RanieriLuisa RanieriLuisa Ranieri is an Italian actress. She has been seen in a number of miniseries on RAI, and has appeared in numerous films, including 2004's Eros.-References:...
as Isabella, one of the four original Juliet's secretaries. - Marina Massironi as Francesca, one of Juliet's secretaries.
- Lidia/Lydia Biondi as Donatella, one of Juliet's secretaries.
- Milena VukoticMilena VukoticMilena Vukotic is a former ballerina and a stage, television, and film actress.Vukotic was born in Rome, to a Serbian Montenegrian comediographer father and an Italian pianist/composer mother....
as Maria, one of Juliet's secretaries. - Stefano Guerrini as Lorenzo III, grandson of Lorenzo.
- Daniel Baldock as Lorenzo Jr., the older of Lorenzo's sons.
- Ashley LilleyAshley LilleyAshley Lilley is a Scottish actress who made her film debut in 2008 film Mamma Mia! The Movie.-Life and career:She was born Ashley-Anne Lilley in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, Scotland. At the age of 12 she won a place with the National Youth Music Theatre. At 15 she enrolled at the Italia Conti...
as Patricia, Charlie's cousin who has the same name as his ex-girlfriend. - Oliver PlattOliver PlattOliver James Platt is a Canadian-American actor. He is currently starring in the Showtime original series, The Big C with Laura Linney.-Early life:...
(uncredited) as The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
Magazine Editor Bobby.
Critical reception
Letters to Juliet received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregate Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 40% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 138 reviews, with an average score of 5.1/10. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gave it an average score of 50 out of 100 from the 34 reviews it collected.
Box office
Letters to Juliet opened at #3 to $13,540,486 behind Iron Man 2Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 is a 2010 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the sequel to 2008's Iron Man, the second film in a planned trilogy and is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jon...
s second weekend and Robin Hood
Robin Hood (2010 film)
Robin Hood is a 2010 British/American adventure film based on the Robin Hood legend, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett...
. In its second weekend, the film dropped 33.5% with $9,006,266 into #4. The film eventually has grossed $53,032,453 domestically and $79,181,750 worldwide.
Soundtrack Lists
- "You Got MeYou Got Me"You Got Me" is a song by the hip hop band The Roots, featuring vocals by Erykah Badu and Eve, then known as Eve of Destruction, who raps the second verse but does not appear in the music video...
" – Colbie CaillatColbie CaillatColbie Marie Caillat is an American pop singer-songwriter and guitarist from Malibu, California. She debuted in 2007 with Coco, which included hit singles "Bubbly", "Realize", and "The Little Things". In 2008, she recorded a duet with Jason Mraz, "Lucky", which won a Grammy. Caillat released her... - "Chianti Country"
- "Verona" – Andy Georges
- "Un Giorno Così" – 883
- "Per Avere Te" – Franco Morselli
- "Quando, Quando, Quando" – Laura Jane (as Lisa Jane) and Chris MannChris MannChris Mann is an Australian composer, poet and performer specializing in the emerging field of compositional linguistics, coined by Kenneth Gaburo and described by Mann as "the mechanism whereby you understand what I'm thinking better than I do."...
- "Variations On A Theme By Mozart" – from The Magic FluteThe Magic FluteThe Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
, Opus 9 - "Sospesa" – Malika AyaneMalika AyaneMalika Ayane is an Italian singer.-Career:Ayane was born in Milan, Italy, the daughter of a Moroccan father and an Italian mother...
and PacificoPacificoPacifico or Pacífico may refer to:*Pacífico, a Mexican pilsner beer originally brewed in Mazatlán, Sinaloa.*Pacifico, a song by Ugly Casanova from their album Sharpen Your Teeth*Pacificus , 13th century follower of St... - "Per Dimenticare" – Zero AssolutoZero AssolutoZero Assoluto is an Italian pop / R&B duo comprising Thomas De Gasperi and Matteo Maffucci . They met each other when they were teenagers and became best friends.-History:...
- "Sono Bugiarda (I'm A liar)" – Caterina CaselliCaterina CaselliCaterina Caselli is an Italian record producer and former singer and actress.In 1966 she debuted in the Sanremo Festival with "Nessuno mi può giudicare", a song discarded by Adriano Celentano, scoring a notable success. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc...
- "Guarda Che Luna" – Fred BuscaglioneFred BuscaglioneFerdinando "Fred" Buscaglione was an Italian singer and actor who became very popular in the late 1950s. His public persona – the character he played both in his songs and his movies – was of a humorous mobster with a penchant for whisky and women.-Biography:Ferdinando Buscaglione was born in...
- "Love StoryLove Story-Other:*Love Story , a 1970 romance novel by Erich Segal*Love Story, a 1933 play by S. N. Behrman*Love Story , a 2010 stage musical inspired by the novel*Love Story , webtoon by Kang Full...
" – Taylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America... - "What If" – Colbie CaillatColbie CaillatColbie Marie Caillat is an American pop singer-songwriter and guitarist from Malibu, California. She debuted in 2007 with Coco, which included hit singles "Bubbly", "Realize", and "The Little Things". In 2008, she recorded a duet with Jason Mraz, "Lucky", which won a Grammy. Caillat released her...