Puccini for Beginners, thankfully, is not just for Opera lovers. It is a light romantic comedy that Woody Allen-eske but stands on its own. Elizabeth Reaser shines as Allegra, a romantic who is stuck too much in her mind instead of her heart. She is fun to watch, especially when dealing with her own visual metaphor as expressed by strangers giving her advice and snyde comments when needed. Gretchen Mol is a wonderful Grace, the other "other" woman in the triangle that Allegra creates. The character seems light and airy, and naive and could have been cast by a Kate Hudson. Mol gives the character sincerity in a more believable performance than The Notorious Bettie Page. Justin Kirk plays Philip as also being too over-educated for the mess he finds himself in. Julianne Nicholson is Samantha, Allegra's current and ex, and, although she has a small amount of screentime, brings a blunt honesty to the role. Tina Benko's Nell is one of the funniest characters in the movie. She is Allegra's past ex, and good friend. She is blunt and too the point about men, relationships and the entire mess.
Puccini for Beginners had the potential to be a Sex in the City onscreen. Instead it is a fully fleshed out movie with fun characters in realistic situations that doesn't force the comedy. The biggest downside is that both Allegra and Philip are too over-educated in their conversation. At times it feels like their conversation is a dissertation. When the dialogue is just about the heart of relationships it shines, and Reaser is the reason why. She is vunerable, naive, and has many ideals that don't fit the real world.
A sidenote. Both Julianne Nicholson (Samantha) and Justin Kirk (Philip) star in the movie Flannel Pajamas as the leads. I highly recommend it as the serious side of relationships.