The ultimate feel-good romantic film. I defy anyone to watch this without misting up at least once!

Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) and her passionate Italian chef fiancé Victor have come to Verona, Italy, for a ‘pre-honeymoon’. Only, lovely as he is, Victor is more interested in sourcing Italian supplies for his new restaurant than spending time with Sophie. Left to her own devices, Sophie stumbles across Juliet Capulet’s courtyard. There, beneath Juliet’s balcony, women pin letters to Juliet, asking for advice on all matters romantic. And there, Juliet discovers a sisterhood exists, called the secretaries of Juliet, who diligently answer letters in Juliet’s name each day.

Joining them, Sophie discovers this letter, left in a crack in the wall many years ago:

I didn’t go to him, Juliet. I didn’t go to Lorenzo. His eyes were so full of trust. I promised I’d meet him and run away together because my parents don’t approve. But, instead, I left him waiting for me below our tree, waiting and wondering where I was. I’m in Verona now. I return to London in the morning and I am so afraid. Please, Juliet tell me what I should do. My heart is breaking, and I have no one else to turn to. Love, Claire

She responds, and to her surprise a week later Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) herself arrives, an old English lady, with her over-protective and, apparently, unromantic grandson Charlie (Christopher Egan) in tow. What follows is a quest, led by Claire and followed by a fascinated Sophie and most reluctant Charlie, to find the long-lost Lorenzo. Fact-checker Claire has traced several in the area, and one by one the threesome travel across Italy in an attempt to reunite the estranged lovers. It’s a journey full of learning for all three of them, during which all manner of locked-away passions are released.

There is so much to love in this film. The dialogue is both witty and moving. The characters are played superbly, and are likeable and attractive. The story is wonderful – with the very happiest of endings. But for me, several things set this movie apart:

The setting

The cityscapes and rural country landscapes are simply stunning. After watching the film, I find myself yearning to book a plane ticket…

The Juliet connection

I love the Romeo and Juliet connotations in the film – not overdone, but really adding to the romance factor. I also love the concept of the letters to Juliet. What a lovely means of self-expression, and how generous of the secretaries to help so many women.

The writing connection

Sophie is a professional fact checker, but she dreams of being a writer. And during the course of the film, that dream is realised. Most heart-warming for a fellow writer.

The romance

Ah, the romance! At both levels – Sophie and Charlie, and Claire and Lorenzo – this love story is deeply affecting. There is much meaning conveyed surrounding what love means: that it has no expiration date; that when you love someone, you’re meant to want to be with them all the time (unlike Victor and Sophie); that it’s never too late; that finding love requires courage. One of my favourite lines in the film is by Charlie; he says of Juliet: I would have grabbed her from that blasted balcony and been done with it.

But the part that always has me sighing is the reading, at the end, of Sophie’s letter to Claire – that fateful letter:

Dear Claire, “What” and “If” are two words as non-threatening as words can be. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: What if? What if? What if? I don’t know how your story ended but if what you felt then was true love, then it’s never too late. If it was true then, why wouldn’t it be true now? You need only the courage to follow your heart. I don’t know what a love like Juliet’s feels like: love to leave loved ones for, love to cross oceans for, but I’d like to believe if I ever were to feel it, that I’d have the courage to seize it. And Claire, if you didn’t, I hope one day that you will. All my love, Juliet

Simply beautiful!