Many have lamented the inconsistent output from Hollywood of romantic comedies, particularly in theaters. Audiences have clamored for more and the importance of the latest rom-com release from Universal Pictures has already been discussed publicly.
In You, Me & Tuscany we meet Anna (Halle Bailey), a former aspiring chef who is now a professional house sitter after she gave up everything to take care of her dying mother. After a chance encounter with an Italian real estate broker named Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor) who encourages her to live a little and embark on her dream vacation to Italy, Anna impulsively jets off to Tuscany. Unfortunately, she chose the same week as the town’s big festival and, faced with fully booked hotels, sneaks into Matteo’s family compound to stay. The next morning, she is caught inside the house by Matteo’s mother Gabriella (Isabella Ferrari) and Nonna (Stefania Casini). In the confusion, Gabriella becomes convinced Anna is Matteo’s fiancée and that little lie grows while the family prepares for a wedding and Matteo’s return. Complicating matters, Anna catches the eye of Matteo’s cousin and adopted brother Michael (Regé-Jean Page).
What is perhaps most interesting about You, Me & Tuscany is that the central conflict of the movie is not a person coming in-between its love interests, although one is slightly presented here in Isabella portrayed by Desirée Pöpper, but an increasingly tangled lie that is continuously twisting but always just on the precipice of being revealed in the worst way. The dual tension of Anna trying to avoid her secret being revealed while simultaneously further complicating things by falling for Michael creates drama that fully invests the viewer in the story and the fates of the characters. We experience the conundrum Anna has backed herself into right alongside her wondering, as she does, what she should do and how long she can keep this up. This could have easily been a generic love story, but the angle of the lie adds a fun element of anxiousness to the romance.
This isn’t to say that the romance takes a backseat in this film as Bailey and Page display palpable chemistry and, more importantly, a believable story of how two people could fall in love under such crazy circumstances. As they get to know each other, their similarities are accentuated, slowly revealed at a realistic pace, and played up until it results in attraction. It’s a delicate balance that many similar films have missed, but it works here thanks in no small part to the portrayals by the actors.
The familial element also works to elevate You, Me & Tuscany above ordinary rom-com fare by adding a dash of serious introspection to its story, and thus, its characters. For Anna, her struggle with the loss of her mother and lack of family is documented through her loss of connection with cooking. The culinary arts had been part of her entire life through her mother, so when she painfully lost her, she also lost her zeal for food creation. The symbolism of Anna reconnecting with the kitchen as she grew closer to Matteo’s family is moving to witness and a testament to the script’s development of her character. This is extended to supporting characters as well through Matteo’s own journey in reconnecting with his family, namely his father, highlighting the amount of thematic depth written into the story by screenwriter Ryan Engle.
You, Me & Tuscany is a pleasant surprise and sure to scratch the itch for rom-com fans looking for a fun time at the movies that also satisfies their love of love stories and meet cutes. Halle Bailey does a good job of creating a sympathetic character in Anna while Regé-Jean Page is just the heartthrob every good rom- com needs while also adding an emotional and dramatic element that allows him to be more than beefcake. The comedic element is handled as well by Aziza Scott and standout Stella Pecollo as Matteo’s sister Francesca. The script here has some great twists and turns that create investment and delve a little deeper into human emotions and connection while staying true to the genre. The result is a solid movie that is sure to be a pleasant surprise for many.
Image: Universal Pictures
