‘You, Me and Tuscany,’ more like you, me and no plot 

By Danielle Cherry 

With beautiful views of Italy and an even more beautiful cast, “You, Me and Tuscany” had the makings of a fun romantic comedy. Yet, despite the mainstream actors, it felt like the movie was nothing more than a tour through the Italian countryside. 

I’ve got to say, I love a good European based movie, with its cultural stereotypes and jokes that don’t quite land for American audiences. “You, Me and Tuscany” follows American house sitter Anna as she takes a spontaneous trip to Tuscany, where she knows no one, has no money and has nowhere to stay. 

From the beginning Anna (Halle Bailey) is portrayed as a free spirit, never setting down any roots because of the loss of her parents at a young age. Her fake life at the homes she house-sits, comes crashing down when the homeowner walks in on Anna wearing the homeowner’s clothes.

If that tells you anything about Anna, it’s that she really doesn’t think before she acts. Her lack of choices explains why, after a meet-cute with an Italian man, Matteo, she hops on a flight to Italy— not thinking about any of the logistics beforehand. 

In no time, she is living in this Italian man’s villa and, after getting caught, claims to be his fiancé. Now she faces the family and another attractive Italian/British man, Micheal (Regé-Jean Page), who happens to be Matteo’s cousin/brother (yeah it’s complicated). 

The humor in this movie was touch-and-go, with some jokes landing hard and others flying over everyone’s head. The humor really didn’t come from characters being funny, but more on the outrageous situation Anna found herself in. 

In terms of the fake-fiancé trope, “You, Me and Tuscany” nails it, but without any nuance. It really felt like they had to pick a trope to justify calling this a rom-com. The real problem is that it becomes a weird mixture of tropes, with the financé being absent from the movie for a good portion of the time.

Michael and Anna sip some wine as they pretend there is nothing going on between them. 

So really, the movie’s plot is Anna lying to a family she just met and catching feelings for Micheal. As the lady next to me in the theatre so eloquently put it:  she really is a hustler. 

When I saw the poster for this movie I had hoped I would be getting into a slightly cringy but still cute romance. Upon seeing the movie, I started to question the actors’ ability to really act. Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page are no small names, starring as Ariel in the live action remake and Simon Basset in “Bridgerton.”

You would think that two people who have had such success in individual projects would be able to pull off acting together in a rom-com. Yet it felt like their chemistry was no more than what was written on the script. Most romantic moments consisted of Page shirtless with slow-mo water downpour. 

Despite the obvious lack of chemistry, I caught myself chuckling at some of the side characters and their commentary on Anna’s poor life choices. A particular favorite was the taxi driver, Lorenzo. He brought humor to the situation by becoming invested like the audience was, despite just meeting this girl a day before. 

In all honesty, I was more invested in Anna and Lorenzo’s friendship than I was with her and Michael. I found myself wanting more of Lorenzo’s green flag energy and less of Michael’s personality solely being that he was attractive. 

With cringy moments galore, this movie hit on some key rom-com tropes like delicious meals, stunning visuals and of course, expensive cars. The atmosphere of the movie was really well set, despite the acting being subpar. I found myself wishing that I could be in Italy, but very far away from Anna and her escapades. 

There were many subplots left undone, with character arcs smashed to the ground in a lack of complete writing. Really the only arc that finished was when Anna fell to the ground off a pipe. 

In the midst of everything, I still found myself invested in the movie, with the sheer audacity of the situation being enough to draw me in. The theater experience elevated the movie, with the crowd laughing and gasping at all the right moments. 

“You, Me and Tuscany” is quite the experience, making me question why it was made in the first place. While a brief chuckle might escape you, it really doesn’t bring much thought or depth. 

While the ladies on the tour bus watching Anna and Micheal’s romance unfold yelled, “Get me on that tour.” I could only sit there thinking, “Get me off this one.” 

“You, Me and Tuscany” is currently playing in theaters 

Danielle Cherry is a sophomore communication major and writer for Cedars A&E and Sports. She is a Missionary Kid from Germany and really thinks Lorenzo should get his own spinoff movie called “You, Me and Lorenzo.”

Images Courtesy of Will Packer Productions in association with Universal