You, Me & Tuscany Review

You, Me & Tuscany is an Italian-set rom-com that acts as a starring vehicle for The Little Mermaid’s Halle Bailey and Bridgerton hunk Regé-Jean Page.

Anna Montgomery’s (Bailey) life is a mess. She dropped out of culinary school after her mum’s death, works as a house sitter, and is broke. After meeting Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor), a wealthy Italian man, Anna takes the plunge and travels to Tuscany. In Italy, Anna logically decides to squat at Matteo’s villa and through a series of misunderstandings, Matteo’s family believe the young American is engaged to the prodigal son.

As a cinematic genre, rom-coms have been on the decline. The last successful one that comes to mind was Anyone But You, which was released at the end of 2023. Rom-coms generally found their home on streaming services, so it was a little refreshing to see one being given a theatrical release. From a business viewpoint, You, Me & Tuscany had a lower risk because it cost $18 million and it has earned decent reviews, which should give the film a box-office boost.

You, Me & Tuscany ticked quite a few boxes. It had two good-looking leads, picturesque scenery, and food that would make most audience members attempt to crawl through the screen. It gave Bailey her first role since the birth of her son. Her character was given a Paddington quality since Anna was a beam of light for the family. She offered a chance for reconciliation for an Italian family who had an acrimonious split. Even though You, Me & Tuscany was based on a ticking time bomb, the family grew to love Anna, and the American fell in love with the area. The non-Italian cast and crew members probably enjoyed the opportunity to work in Italy.

You, Me & Tuscany was a by-the-numbers film. No cliché was left unused. Anna’s main arc involved her cookery career because she hadn’t cooked since her mum died, and by coincidence, Matteo’s family own a restaurant. Anna’s meeting with her true love interest, Michael (Page), was a negative one because he nearly ran over the tourist and brought a sandwich Anna was about to buy.

The humour in the film was broad. The opening job was Anna wearing someone else’s clothes, including their underwear, and Anna responded by saying she was going to clean them. The supporting characters were made up of one-note stereotypes. Anna’s best friend, Claire (Aziza Scott), can be described as a sassy black woman who stepped out of a Family Guy cutaway. Matteo’s sister, Francesca (Stella Pecollo), was a highly plus-size sexual woman who was having an affair with a plumber called Luigi, whilst the younger brother, Enzo (Tommaso Cassissa), was a wannabe influencer. Finally, there was Lorenzo (Marco Calvani), a comedy taxi driver who drove a small car. For a film that was set in Italy, it was weird for the family to argue in English for Anna’s benefit.

It was notable that the film used a lot of ADR. Every time characters were in a car, there was dialogue that sounded like it was performed in a recording studio. The most infamous scene was when Anna and Michael were running through a vineyard, and the editor tried to hide it by avoiding showing their faces. It was technically sloppy.

You, Me & Tuscany was a mediocre offering. It was overly predictable and unremarkable, so it will not last in audience members’ memories.