Halle Bailey’s Anna squats in an empty Tuscan villa and comes up with a massive lie when she is discovered by the owner’s family.
If you’re after an easygoing romantic comedy set in a beautiful location with gorgeous leads, then look no further than You, Me & Tuscany.
The romcom, directed by Marry Me’s Kat Coiro, follows Anna (Halle Bailey), a culinary school dropout making ends meet in New York by working as a professional housesitter.
One evening, she meets Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor) in a hotel bar and learns all about his life back home in ltaly, including his empty Tuscan villa. She takes this as an invitation to fly to Tuscany and live her best Italian life in his house.
If only it were that simple. Anna is soon discovered by Matteo’s family and pretends to be his fiancée, a lie which becomes complicated when Anna starts to develop feelings for Matteo’s British-born cousin Michael (Regé-Jean Page).
It’s rare to see a studio romcom starring two Black leads, so You, Me & Tuscany is a big deal in terms of diversity and representation, but Bailey and Page both deserve better than these characters and this ridiculous story.
The plot developments are soap opera-level and unbelievable, contrived and quite silly at times. It hits many romcom tropes, the Italian characters are clichéd and stereotypical, and the resolution of the mistaken identity plot is mind-boggling.
In addition, the comedy is hit and miss – although there are a few laugh-out-loud gems – and the romance doesn’t sizzle as much as it should.
Bailey is sweet, radiant and beautiful, and Page – as he proved in his Bridgerton days – is handsome, knows how to smoulder and has no issue taking his top off at random opportunities. They share longing glances, but that’s basically it, so you don’t root for them as much as you typically should.
Although they are stereotypes, some of the supporting Italian cast are very funny, particularly Stella Pecollo as Matteo’s oversharing sister Francesca and Marco Calvani as her sandwich-eating taxi driver-turned-confidante Lorenzo. Aziza Scott also deserves a shout-out for sending hilarious voicemails packed full of one-liners as Anna’s New York bestie Claire.
You, Me & Tuscany is a predictable, by-the-numbers romcom, but most people will still be charmed by the dazzling locations, the enviable shots of food and wine, and the fantastical escapism. Maybe it’s time for a trip to Italy!
In cinemas from Friday 10th April
By Hannah Wales
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