(Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
(“You, Me & Tuscany” trailer courtesy of Universal Pictures)
The year 2026 should become known as the year of the “chick flick” if the current trend continues, and that is no diss.
First, “Reminders of Him” tugged at heartstrings.
Now, “You, Me & Tuscany” takes a light-hearted, crazy, and whimsical approach to finding true love in a charming and cute film that suffers from predictability.
Many people dream of finding true love and living happily ever after.
Furthermore, many people dream of pursuing lofty career aspirations, thereby realizing the true American dream.
But what happens when life gets in the way of pursuing career goals?
And what happens when the American dream becomes the Italian dream?
In that situation, a dreamer can become an achiever when they realize that every setback and mistake is often a detour toward their true destination in life.
And although the conclusion might not look like they initially intended, sometimes reality can become even better than they ever dreamt.
In “You, Me & Tuscany,” Anna (Halle Bailey, “The Little Mermaid”) has little, working as a house sitter in New York.
Although she maxes out her credit cards just to buy a hamburger and a beer, house sitting allows her to pretend that she is living the good life.
The people she works for have all the finer things in life.
And while they are away from the house, she can pretend to live that good life too by wearing their clothes, down to the undergarments.
But when one of the homeowners returns early and catches Anna wearing her drawers, she is fired immediately and finds herself in a rut.
What happened to Anna?
Her life was not meant to turn out like this.
She did not grow up with many extravagant things.
But what Anna did not have in material things, she had in her mother’s love.
Anna developed her love for cooking from her mother.
But when her mother gets sick, Anna quits culinary school months before graduation.
Unfortunately, Anna’s mother does not live to see her daughter graduate from culinary school and become a successful chef.
Furthermore, their dream vacation to Tuscany never happens after her mother dies from her illness.
Thankfully, Anna has something like a family member in her friend Claire (Aziza Scott), who lets her hang out at the hotel she works at until Anna can figure out her next move.
While at the bar, eating her hamburger and charging her dying cell phone, Anna strikes up a conversation with an Italian traveler named Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor).
As people often say, opposites do attract because Anna and Matteo come from very different worlds.
Their careers are at very different places, and their bank accounts are polar opposites.
Nevertheless, the sparks fly, with Matteo even offering Anna a place to stay in his hotel room.
In “You, Me & Tuscany,” Anna tells Matteo about her dreams of visiting Italy one day, and Matteo encourages Anna to do it, despite her meager finances.
He tells Anna about his abandoned home in Italy and how wonderful a place it is, even showing her pictures of the impressive estate.
With nothing going for her in New York, Anna decides to make the trip to Italy, taking the spirit of her late mother with her along the way.
Anna has barely enough money to make it to Europe.
But she is determined to make the most of it and stay as long as possible.
However, when Anna arrives in Tuscany, there are no hotel rooms available because of the annual festival, which brings visitors in from near and far.
Not having any place to stay, Anna remembers Matteo telling her about the empty home he left behind in Italy.
And thanks to the picture Matteo showed her, Anna determines the address, finds a key, and finds a place to lay her head for the duration of her trip.
Hopefully.
Unfortunately for Anna, Matteo’s house is not as empty as he made it seem.
And to prevent a trip to a Tuscan jail, Anna must create a fantastical story of why she is in Matteo’s room and wearing his grandmother’s old engagement ring.
Because she is so likable and fits in so well with Matteo’s family, they believe her story even after she begins spending more time with Matteo’s brother/cousin Michael (Rege-Jean Page, “Black Bag”) more than any other member of the family.
“You, Me & Tuscany” is also likable.
While more of a fantasy than a realistic relationship movie, “You, Me & Tuscany” has a believable theme, which is that sometimes the hardships and mistakes that people endure often lead to their ultimate destination in life.
The lost job.
The failed relationship.
The devastation.
The lies.
All those things play a major role in a person getting where they need to be and becoming the person they were meant to be.
Often, a person must leave their surroundings and travel to the most unlikely place to achieve their dreams.
Unfortunately, “You, Me & Tuscany” has its cheesy moments.
But those moments are overcome by the funny moments, provided by Francesca (Stella Pecollo).
She actually steals the show from the two main stars of the movie, Bailey and Page.
In “You, Me & Tuscany,” Francesca is that freaky auntie or cousin who talks openly about sex in such an over-the-top way.
Francesca even tells Anna that the key to a successful marriage is having a side piece.
Despite the comedy, “You, Me & Tuscany” does conclude predictably.
But what was not so predictable was 2026 becoming the year of the chick flick, and it will be if the current trend continues.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
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