Frances (Diane Lane), a writer in her mid-'30s, needs some direction in her life after a messy divorce. Her best friend, Patti (Sandra Oh), decides Frances needs a break and gives her a ticket for a two-week tour of Tuscany in Italy. Whilst there, Frances falls in love with the village of Cortona and decides to buy an old villa much in need of renovation. Settling in it soon becomes apparent that renovation work in Italy is done on Italian time, but in the process she manages to build back her confidence, make new friends, and even fall for a local named Marcello (Raoul Bova).

A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not from Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become a symbol of hope for all mankind.

A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not from Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become a symbol of hope for all mankind.

A local biker-gang leader (Mickey Rourke), despite reforming his ways, is still the hero of local adolescents. His younger brother (Matt Dillon) idolises him, even though his mentor strives to persuade him that he has done nothing to be proud of. Shot in black and white (with occasional touches of colour), this is an atmospheric rites-of-passage tale with a musical score by Stewart Copeland and featuring many members of the so-called eighties 'Brat Pack'.