Film Review – You, Me & Tuscany

April 9th, 2026 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

When it comes to rom-coms, we walk into a film with two major questions: 1) “Is it romantic?” and 2) “Is it comedic?” There are plenty of other themes, tangents, and insights that could be explored. But at the very least, it needs to satisfy these two conditions. In the case of You, Me & Tuscany (2026), it excels at one and just manages to meet the requirements of the other. This is a very cute and funny film. I found myself laughing at several of the jokes and sight gags. In terms of the romance, it’s not as successful. We’ve seen this tale many times before. The love story elements are so familiar we can call out the twists and turns before they arrive. But what it lacks in ingenuity it makes up for with humor.

Directed by Kat Corio (with screenplay by Ryan Engle), the premise is as absurd as you would expect in this type of movie. After a chance encounter with the charming Italian man Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor) our protagonist, Anna (Halle Bailey) makes a drastic decision to travel to Italy. Moving to the country and becoming a chef was a dream of hers, following in the footsteps of her mother. But after her mother’s tragic passing, Anna put those dreams on hold. With little to no money and no real plan, Anna travels across the world and immediately gets herself into trouble. After a series of unfortunate events, Anna ends up crashing at Matteo’s empty villa. Even worse, after being discovered by his mother Gabriella (Isabella Ferrari) and grandmother Nonna Alessia (Stefania Casini), Anna panics and lies that she is engaged to Matteo and has come to his home to help reunite him with the family.

Right away, the narrative sets up a situation with classic screwball hijinks. Anna’s elaborate scheme that she and Matteo are together doesn’t make any sense upon deeper inspection. All the hoopla she puts herself through, tying one lie after another to get his family to believe her, could all be easily solved if she just told the truth. Of course, we wouldn’t have much of a movie if that were the case, right? To make matters more complicated, Anna also meets Matteo’s cousin, Michael (Regé-Jean Page). To nobody’s surprise, Michael turns out to be hunkier and even more charming, creating a love triangle where Anna gets pulled in two different directions. Should she continue with her deception to stay in the family’s good graces, or should she risk everything and follow her heart toward Michael? Oh, the suspense! 

You, Me & Tuscany belongs in the same line of fluffy, easy to digest rom-coms as My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997), While You Were Sleeping (1995), Eat Pray Love (2010), and Under the Tuscan Sun (2003). To its credit, the film fully embraces this fact. It doesn’t try to subvert the tropes of its given genre, it fully revels in the silliness and cheese. Coiro’s direction, Elena Albanese’s production design, and Danny Ruhlmann’s cinematography construct this world in vibrant colors and postcard-worthy environments. Every outdoor scene takes place in vineyards that stretch out to the horizon, villages are made up of cobblestone bricks that give off an old-world charm, and every shop feels like it’s been family-owned for hundreds of years. “Reality” is of no concern here – this is a fantasy world where there are no bad guys, everybody is friendly and helpful, and people can fall in love at the drop of a hat. 

The dynamic between Anna, Michael and Matteo is the film’s weakest element. Halle Bailey, Regé-Jean Page, and Lorenzo de Moor all play their parts admirably, but the chemistry between them never really takes off. This is especially true for the characters of Anna and Michael. While Bailey and Page do look good together on screen, their dialogue consists of romantic comedy cliches. From early animosity, gradual acceptance of each other’s company, to eventual romantic tension, Anna and Michael feel like they are simply going through the motions of their respective arcs. Whenever the movie tries to dig into legitimate emotional stakes, that is when the narrative noticeably dips. Anna and Michael’s chemistry works much better when they wink at us knowing they are in on the joke. One of the biggest laughs happen when the two are in a vineyard when the sprinkler system goes off, causing Michael to take his shirt off to help cover Anna from the water. The way Anna’s gaze lingers on Michael’s body – in slow motion, no less – goes to show that everyone knows what kind of movie they are making and are having fun doing so.

In complete contrast to the leads, the supporting cast absolutely shines in their respective parts. Not just some of them – nearly all of them make remarkable impressions. Anna’s best friend Claire (Aziza Scott), texts her from New York worried about her wellbeing. Gabriella dreams of reconnecting with Matteo and mending their broken relationship. Matteo’s sister Francesca (Stella Pecollo) is a ball of energy and proudly admits her affair with the family’s plumber. Matteo’s younger brother Enzo (Tommaso Cassisa) wants to be an online influencer but barely has any followers. Nonna Alessia silently watches over all with a suspicious eye, and Matteos’ father Vincenzo (Paolo Sassanelli) is busy prepping his restaurant for the yearly town festival. Even the family’s gardener, Giuseppe (Emanuele Pacca) leaves a mark with his daily morning opera singing. The funniest of all might be Anna’s taxi driver, Lorenzo (Marco Calvani). A hilarious and friendly man, Lorenzo takes Anna under his wing. His defining trait is his peculiar obsession with sandwiches. All these big, loud, and colorful personalities make for a large portion of the entertainment value. I wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel where we follow the other family members in their daily adventures.

You, Me & Tuscany doesn’t offer anything beyond what it is: a straight down the line, formulaic, and lighthearted rom-com. But in the vast universe of straight down the line, formulaic, and lighthearted rom-coms, this one ain’t bad. I maybe getting cynical and pessimistic with age, but this managed to break through my defenses and win me over. Sure, we know what we are getting with it – those that don’t like this kind of flick probably won’t be watching it anyway. But for those of you that like your movies sweet, airy, and without a lot of fuss, this might be right up your alley.

Aziza Scott, Danny Ruhlmann, Eat Pray Love, Elena Alabnese, Elena Albanese, Emanuele Pacca, Halle Bailey, Isabella Ferrari, Kat Corio, Lorenzo de Moor, Marco Calvani, My Best Frien', My Best Friend’s Wedding, Paolo Sassanelli, Regé-Jean Page, Ryan Engle, Stefania Casini, Stella Pecollo, Tommaso Cassisa, Under the Tuscan Sun, While You Were Sleeping, You Me & Tuscany