When I saw the trailers for You, Me & Tuscany, I thought it sounded fun and much like most romantic comedies, a film that I would enjoy, especially with the cast. I liked Halle Bailey in The Little Mermaid and Regé-Jean Page from Bridgerton. What I wasn’t anticipating was just how emotional and hilarious the movie would be. Balancing small town relationships with family loss was the perfect blend for this romantic film.
You, Me & Tuscany is a romantic comedy film directed by Kat Coiro and written by Ryan Engle. The film begins with a young woman, Anna (Halle Bailey), having lost her passion for cooking after the death of her mother. She’s been drifting since but loses her housesitting gig and her housing. But she meets a handsome Italian Matteo (Lorenzo De Moor), who encourages her to travel to Italy and follow her dreams. She embarks on an adventure but soon finds out that there’s no place to stay when she gets there. She breaks into Matteo’s empty villa but is caught by his mother Gabriella (Isabella Ferrari) and pretends to be his fiance. The farce soon leads to her meeting Matteo’s entire family, including his handsome cousin Michael (Regé-Jean Page) and finds herself falling for him. When Matteo shows up, things go from bad to worse and Anna must figure out what she really wants, the dream of a family or the reality of following her true passions. With the help of her best friend, Claire (Aziza Scott) and a friendly taxi driver, Lorenzo (Marco Calvani), Anna must find the answers.
From the very first, this romantic comedy doesn’t quite follow the rules. When Anna meets Matteo, they flirt but they don’t end up together. Matteo doesn’t save her from her life, he just encourages her to follow her dreams. Anna saves herself or at the very least takes the risk of traveling to Italy to find better things. While the romance with Michael is predictable, the romance is also very sweet and driven by friendship as much as the chemistry between the pair. I love that Anna is driven not just by the romance but also by the sense of belonging and family. She loves Matteo’s family and charms them. She also is inspired by them as much as they are charmed by her. The underlying theme of family, loss and belonging is what makes the story far more complex and interesting.
The romantic aspects are well written. When Anna and Michael meet, there is pure chemistry between the pair. They fight but also clearly share a love for similar things, including food. Along the way, they also find they have more in common, including the loss of family. And that bonds them far more than Anna’s superficial friendship with Matteo. The differences between them also bring them together. Anna has run away from her dreams because of the loss of her mother while Michael has embraced his dreams for his family, to bring him closer to them. That dynamic is well written in the movie.
The film’s comedic moments are hilarious. From Francesca, Matteo’s sister, who is openly sleeping with the plumber, Luigi to Lorenzo the taxi driver who revels in Anna’s romantic mistakes, the movie is funny. Even minor bit characters taking a tour in a winery make the audience laugh. Matteo’s grandmother keeping an eye on Anna and giving her advice is funny. And the fights between Matteo and Michael just create more comedy. As sweet and emotional as the movie is, it is the comedy that makes me want to keep watching.
As I said, the chemistry between Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page are off the charts. The dynamic between them starts with conflict and is heightened by scenes that create a sexual tension that will make viewers hot under the collar. Halle Bailey’s performance is sweet, brash and full of passion. She is emotional as she comes to terms with rediscovering family and her dreams. Regé-Jean Page is fantastic, giving a charming performance as Michael but also warm and caring. Stella Pecollo who plays Francesca and Mario Calvani who plays Lorenzo are highlights with their scenes being some of the funniest in the movie. The rest of the cast is equally talented and the movie is great at giving us a warm, loving, involved Italian family.
As with most romantic comedies, You, Me & Tuscany can be predictable. It also has some stereotypical ways that it treats Italian families and small towns with some jokes being simple. But it also has some complex emotions and sweet moments throughout with the chemistry between the two leads being sizzling hot. The family aspects and sense of belonging are great themes and I like that the film is more about Anna embracing her dreams than embracing a romance.
If you like complex romantic comedies and films with rich chemistry between the leads, I honestly recommend this movie. It is fantastically funny, with unexpected moments and is all about family, friendship and belonging. It is emotional and hilarious, all about following your dreams and embracing your passions, with or without the help of a man. The man helps but I love that the movie is about Anna’s journey.
Rating: 4 out of 5 sprinklers.
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