By John Corrado
If modern filmmakers like Ari Aster and Jordan Peele helped define a subgenre known as “elevated horror,” director Kat Coiro’s Italy-set romantic comedy You, Me & Tuscany pioneers something that could be described as “elevated Hallmark.”
This rom-com plays like something that could air on the Hallmark Channel, but with recognizable stars in Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page. And that is not a slight at all. It’s a formula that works, if done well, and there’s something refreshing about the fact that a film like this was actually released in theatres.
Coiro, who also made the Owen Wilson and J-Lo rom-com Marry You, crafts a film of “meet cutes,” misunderstandings, and relationships built on a lie that might become something real. The story strains credibility in places and the whole thing feels entirely predictable, but that’s probably more of a feature than a bug with this sort of picture.
Anna (Bailey) is a professional house sitter in New York who gave up dreams of being a chef. She has a near one night stand with Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor), an attractive but aloof Italian real estate agent with an unused villa in Tuscany. The two meet in a hotel bar, but he passes out before they can hook up. This is the film’s first meet cute.
Anna takes it as a sign to travel to Italy, where she finds herself stuck without a place to stay. So she decides to crash at Matteo’s villa. When the family finds her there the next morning, she pretends to be Matteo’s fiancée to avoid being arrested for trespassing. What she doesn’t expect is that the whole family takes a liking to her, and welcomes her into their world with open arms.
The dynamic is also complicated by Anna encountering Matteo’s brother Michael (Page), which provides the film’s second meet cute. They can’t stand each other at first (he buys the last sandwich she was eying from the shop), but in true Hallmark fashion, sparks also fly amidst the bickering and banter. A vineyard day trip involving sprinklers going off in the field that cause him to remove his wet shirt certainly helps the chemistry (Page’s sex appeal is one of the main selling points).
If You, Me & Tuscany is not quite strong enough or original enough to be in the upper echelon of rom-coms, it’s all just satisfying enough to provide something light and enjoyable. The Italian scenery is lovely, we get some nice food porn in the kitchen scenes, and the chemistry between Bailey and Page – both appealing, attractive stars in their own right – is enough to sell it as casual evening viewing.
Film Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)
Bonus Features (4K Ultra HD):
The Blu-ray also includes a handful of short featurettes and a commentary track. The package ships with a standard slipcover.
• You & Me (3 minutes, 33 seconds): Bailey and Page talk about their characters, while Coiro and producer Will Packer weigh in on the chemistry between the two.
• Racing Through Tuscany (2 minutes, 26 seconds): A look at the comical barrel race scene between Michael and Matteo.
• La Famiglia (5 minutes, 42 seconds): A look at the various family members and the ensemble cast bringing them to life.
• Taste of Italy (5 minutes, 21 seconds): Looks at how the film highlights aspects of Italian culture, from the food to the cars, and filming on location in Rome and Tuscany as well as at the historic Cinecitta Studios.
• Going Green in Italy (1 minute, 25 seconds): A brief overview of some of the sustainability practises on set, from Coiro’s dedication to reducing single use plastics both onscreen and on-set, to the use of hybrid or electric vehicles.
• Feature Commentary With Director Kat Coiro and Producer Will Packer
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