“Okay, full disclosure, this movie might not be your thing because it’s a rom-com. But it takes place in Tuscany and there will be a lot of food and wine scenes,” I said, forewarning my husband about the advanced screening we were about to attend. Turns out, we’d seen You, Me & Tuscany many times before – or at least the same, major thematic elements. While I was willing to ride those waves again, hubby was not and was, frankly, a little wary about what the next hour+ was going to bring. Turns out, there were many surprises for both of us.
You, Me & Tuscany is about Anna, a 20-something professional housesitter who really wanted to be a chef. But a family loss caused Anna to pause her dreams and build up anxiety about ever cooking again. At a self-sabotaging crossroads in her life, a chance encounter in a bar with a handsome Italian man motivates Anna to fly to Tuscany. You know, as one does.
Anna’s plans to crash at the Italian guy’s unoccupied villa go awry (of course), when his mother and Nonna show up to check on it. There’s an engagement ring that won’t come off, a big lie, a fake wedding to plan, a handsome relative with whom Anna has sparks, lots of food, lots of family and lots of gorgeous scenery – not to mention lots of cleavage and wet-shirt-ringing-six-pack-abs.
Running throughout You, Me & Tuscany is the theme of a lonely woman without family finding it in the welcoming arms of the family who thinks she is marrying their son. Sound familiar? Super familiar? It’s been the core of so many charming movies, my most favorite being Sandra Bullock’s While You Were Sleeping. And, while we’re at it Sandra Bullock’s The Proposal.
There’s also the theme of the early-on encounter with the person who appears to be an arrogant jerk who then turns out to not be as bad as previously thought. Yeah, yeah, yeah, saw that coming a mile away.
Now that we have the recognizable, but proven, themes out of the way, let me pause to tell you who is cast in the movie. Anna is played by Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid, The Color Purple). Matteo from the bar is played by Lorenzo de Moor (The Legend Hunters). Cousin/brother (you’ll find out) Michael is played by Regé-Jean Page of Bridgerton and Black Bag. Their performances are just fine and Anna and Michael at least are quite likeable and the audience is pulling for those two crazy kids. Lorenzo’s Matteo character is less likeable, as he should be, considering we don’t want Anna to actually end up with him. But it’s other characters who really take You, Me & Tuscany out of the campy and into the realm of a worthwhile movie.
A cameo at the start from Academy Award® nominee Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) as a wealthy housesitting client, provides the much-needed screeching halt to the start of the film in which Anna is living her best life in a fabulous apartment with fabulous espresso maker (of course she makes perfect foam art) and fabulous clothes and fabulous little doggie. “Are we going to have to hate her already?” whispered my husband two minutes into the film? “Maybe,” I whispered back.
That’s when Aziza Scott’s character Claire (Home Before Dark) enters the picture as Anna’s rock, savior and voice of sassy reason. Although we don’t see much of her (mostly on the phone screen), she delivers the best lines of the film. And Marco Calvani (The Four Seasons) provides an adorable thread of warmth and comic consistency throughout the movie as the driver of a tiny Italian taxi who is always just a phone call or taxi ride away for Anna and is in on all the shenanigans.
There are a couple of other scene-stealer performances from tourists in a trolley who happen by the vineyard owned by Michael. Be sure to wait through the credits for hilarious outtakes with them.
And hilarity does ensue throughout this film. We found ourselves laughing a lot and missed so many great lines and comebacks because the audience was laughing even more. Hopefully this movie will come out on a streaming service fairly soon so I can play it with closed captioning to catch those lines.
That level of humor, especially the sassiest gags, combined with the warmth from several of the characters, prevents You, Me & Tuscany from being trite and totally predictable. And it makes it a movie I was ready to watch again before I even left the theater.
The movie is directed by filmmaker Kat Coiro (Marry Me (a movie I love despite so many problems), Matlock), from a screenplay by Ryan Engle (Rampage, Beast), based on an original idea by Ryan Engle and Kristin Engle.
Rom-com lovers will get all the feels and so much more. Food and travel lovers will find plenty to enjoy. And comedy fans will find a lot to be pleasantly surprised by. You, Me & Tuscany is in theaters April 10, 2026.
-By Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher, InGoodTasteDenver.com
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