In fact, the film spends so much time on all her various attempts to be happy that by 90 minutes into this nearly two hour film, it all starts to sag under its own weight. Frances' search may be thorough, and that may be why I think it's a pretty good representation, but it certainly isn't always shown in the most engaging ways.
Under the Tuscan Sun is aware of its own sticking to formula, and that too is one reason why it works. In one of the wisest moments in the film, Patti asks Frances over the phone if she's met "him" yet. Not having met anyone, Frances responds with a "who," and Patti explains that she's asking Frances about the guy Frances is going to meet and if she's met him yet (she hasn't). There has to be a guy Frances falls for eventually, it's just that sort of film.
For all its being aware of the conventions, however, Under the Tuscan Sun still manages to fall prey to some of them. In short, I don't know if the final representation of Frances is a good one, but I think that much of her journey of self-discovery is good. Frances is definitely happy at the end of the movie, but is she happy in "good" way or is she happy for all the wrong reasons? I don't know. Audrey Wells definitely does her best to give Frances a little bit from column A and a little bit from column B, which almost feels like an attempt to appease the audience as much as it does a natural outgrowth of Frances' search.
One of the more problematic aspects of the movie is the supporting character of Katherine, played by Lindsay Duncan. Frances' entire idea of staying in Tuscany comes from Katherine who is shown to be this strong, smart, independent woman. By the end of the movie though, while Katherine may have some good answers, she is proven to have just as many problems as Frances, if not more. Frances has been living up to her ideal of Katherine and not the real Katherine, and while that certainly makes Katherine a human being, it also completely undercuts everything towards which Frances has been working. I don't know if that works out to be a positive message or not, all I know is that by the end of the movie this incredibly strong character is little more than an empty shell.
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