You, Me & Tuscany – Movie Reviews by Ry!

You, Me & Tuscany – A Familiar Sip of Italy & Love

To traverse the moment, what is it that you see?  From that moment comes a discourse of acceptance and growth.  The obstacles are a lesson, but as days go by, it is ok to feel indifference.  That sensation can become a layer for a tale, one where familiarity can be much, much more.  In this review, I look at the latest romance film to hit the big screen.  Even if the film has a bit of familiarity, You, Me & Tuscany becomes a journey where follies of circumstance become true tales of the heart. 

When a risky trip turns upside down, one woman will find that the unexpected may transform her life for the better.  To look at a tale, we look for a sense of wholesome and zeal.  From action to adventure, there is a genuine grip to pull you in so you can feel a part of the journey.  For romance, it is a journey where clichés are obvious, but if you can feel that connection then there is a place to feel joy.  In the beginning, we meet Anna (Halle Bailey), a young woman struggling in New York City, doing random jobs as a house sitter.  After a series of aloof like situations, an encounter with an Italian bachelor leads her to take a leap of faith; fulfill her mother’s dream and visit Italy.  Once she arrives, we head through more aloof situations that lead to a peculiar situation: she lies about being engaged to the bachelor, Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor) to stay in his abandoned Villa and not get arrested (plot point).  This leads into the main throughline of the film, where Anna slowly starts to engrain herself into the day-to-day of the local community and family (view the cast at the film’s IMDb page – link).  These moments are filled with cheesy dialogue but also wholesome interactions, but this also builds up an underlining conflict: Anna starts to catch feelings for Matteo’s cousin Michael (Rege-Jean Page).  With these two paralleling plot threads, the journey weaves through predictable scenes of slapstick humor and romantic tropes, but the underlining tone of family and past tragedies helps elevate the experience.  With Anna’s interaction with the family, local community and Michael, it builds up to circumstances of revelations.  This creates scenes where conversations feel real, off-the-cuff and organic.  As these interactions become more prudent, it leads to an underlining recognition of the unexpected might be Anna’s best chance for a better life.  For all that is passe, these subtle reflections of life make the journey feel more than just another throwaway romantic tale.

As things start to build between Anna and Michael, a wrench is thrown into the mix when Matteo decides to come back home.  With his arrival, there is a chance for the film to fall into a nonsensical melodrama, but that doesn’t happen.  What you have are real situations of endearment, creating another layer to the family dynamic.  As things build up to a familiar crossroads, we head into a third act where things start to unravel, but lead to a romantic full circle climax and heartfelt epilogue.  You, Me & Tuscany is a journey that turns the typical into something more.  If you are a fan of romance films, this is one for you.  I think that this can still be a good date night film, one that will have you smiling in the end. 

Full Score – 3.5 out of 5 (Matinee)