Picture a relaxing Italian villa, a leisurely train ride and...a bomb. Thus begins an odd tale of an eccentric and lonely romance novelist who brings all of the "victims" back to her villa for an extended recovery.

Maggie Smith plays the almost-desperate older woman, eager to have new faces mingling among her many servants. And Chris Cooper ( of "Seabiscuit" ) is the big-city American coming over to pick up his niece and not at all receptive to Ms. Smith's drunken overtures, as good-intentioned as they are. Throw in a few other characters and you have the balance of the story.

WHAT story, you ask, is that it? Well, unfortunately, this is again one of those films that disappoints. If it's scenery you expect ( they do venture to Sienna and the villa is supposedly in Umbria ), well, you'll probably see more in a brochure. As far as the story, okay it's different, but not THAT much different. And by the end of the plodding, you again shrug your shoulders and say, "It was o-kay."

And as with so many films, this is one that really WANT to work; you WANT to be pulled into the characters and feel empathy for them. And it seems to be there, the acting and the staging ( as far as filming inside and around the villa ); but something just doesn't quite finish the final polishing.

On the other hand, this was a different role for Cooper, his playing an unintentionally mean American, not for any reason other than he can't be bothered by slowing down to the leisurely pace. And now the unexpected burden of having to care for a niece? And what a Maggie Smith, who has now found some meaning in her lonely, cursed life...will her little 10-year old savior suddenly vanish?

This is one of those ( again ) movies that could go either way, some loving it and some finding it boring, or at least a bit slow. Put me in the latter group...

Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older