Director: Kat Coiro
Writer: Ryan Engle, Kristin Engle
Stars: Regé-Jean Page, Halle Bailey, Marco Calvani
Synopsis: When a woman crashes at an empty Italian villa, posing as the owner’s fiancée, she discovers an unexpected romance that may transform her life.
When it comes to the genre of romantic comedies, there has always been a subsection of them targeted towards the African-American audience. Films like Love Jones, Love and Basketball, Think Like a Man, etc., provide audiences with examples of Black love and romance. Thus, providing representation in a genre that is white-skewing at best. In You, Me, and Tuscany, the latest rom com from producer Will Packer (the guy whose name has been all over the billboards) and his collaborators attempt to revive aspects of the subgenre. In both ways that it does and doesn’t work for the film and the representation at hand.
In You, Me, and Tuscany, we follow Anna (Halle Bailey), a former aspiring chef, who is now working as a housesitter after a personal tragedy. After a really bad day in the office, Anna meets Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor), a wealthy real estate agent, who just so happens to be Italian. After a one-night stand (or an unsuccessful one), Anna is inspired to revisit her and her mother’s dream of going to Italy. However, once she gets there, due to a major holiday festival, she is unable to find a room. This leads her to devise a plan in which she pretends to be Matteo’s fiancée. All the while, Anna begins to fall for a winemaker named Michael (Regé-Jean Page), who just so happens to be Matteo’s adoptive brother/cousin.
First off, the good, or the ways the film does work. Led by Bailey and Page, the cast delivers solid performances all around. Bailey is likable as Anna. Even in a predicament (that she somewhat caused herself), we still root for her. And that’s largely thanks to Bailey’s awe-inducing and innocent charm. As for Page, he makes Michael an interesting contrast. Whereas Bailey’s Anna is warm, friendly, and likable, Page’s Michael is the opposite, with Page playing the role cold, but still likable. When together, the two display solid chemistry. However, the standouts come from the supporting cast – namely Aziza Scott as Claire, Anna’s best friend, Stella Percello as Francesca, Matteo’s sister, and Marco Calvani as Lorenzo, a cab driver that Anna befriends. All three, despite being supporting players, all manage to help separate this film from the others, especially in the humor department. Now, that’s not to say Bailey and Page aren’t humorous. But their comedy is a bit more understated than the others. As for other positives, the cinematography by Danny Ruhlmann was lush and clean, with Ruhlmann taking full advantage of the Tuscany countryside in some shots.
Now, moving on to the negatives. Or rather, the ways the film doesn’t work. It should be noted that this reviewer isn’t the biggest romantic comedy fan. While there are some great ones like 1988’s When Harry Met Sally, most of them are a dime a dozen. Overall, it’s safe to say that the film is already starting at a disadvantage. When it comes to the script by Ryan Engle (who for context, is a white writer – more on that later) and Kat Coiro (also white)’s direction, Engle and Cairo make such a strict adherence to its conventions that there’s no room for innovation or even originality at times. Instead, it feels very surface-baked. Which is a shame, given the amount of emphasis regarding Black representation, primarily with Bailey, Page, and Packer being in front of the film’s marketing campaign. Had Engle and Coiro put in a little bit more originality, whether in the direction or the script department, we might have something truly unique on our hands as opposed to the same old. It doesn’t have to be awe-inspiring or fantastic, but it does have to expand beyond the genre its working in. To use an example, last year Sinners managed to bring in not just horror fans, but people who aren’t even into horror due to writer/director Ryan Coogler, taking in other inspirations and not just sticking to the original genre. In other words, to use a cooking term, a little bit more spice would have gone a long way.
You, Me, and Tuscany is a bit of a mixed bag, in ways that are both in the movie’s favor and are not. As a piece of representation, the film is not as groundbreaking as it’s been pushed to be online, especially, once you start to factor in the inclusion of the behind-the-scenes talent beyond Packer. However, quality-wise, the film’s humor, supporting cast, and leads in Bailey and Page help it cross the finish line. Still, one has to wonder – maybe the basicness of You, Me, and Tuscany was the point? Most romantic comedies themselves aren’t anything unique. They’re just there. And maybe that’s what is needed. To just be there. Because even in a romantic comedy, we all want to be represented.
