layers on the cheesiness
By Glenn Kay
For the Sun
Rating: ++
out of ++++
Running Time: 104 minutes
This feature from Universal Pictures will open exclusively in theaters on Friday, April 10.
Tuscany is a beautiful region of Italy known for its rolling hills and rustic architecture, as well as incredible wine and delicious cuisine. It also has a relaxed atmosphere, making it a scenic and natural locale to shoot a romantic comedy in, especially one focused on characters with a background in the service industry.
I’ll admit that You, Me & Tuscany is not a film in which I am the target demographic, but the elements involved in the production certainly showed promise. Alas, the filmmakers behind this effort have served up a product with an extra helping of cheese that ultimately makes it tough to digest.
Anna (Halle Bailey) is a sweet young woman who dropped out of culinary school in order to care for her terminally ill mother. She now spends her time working as a house-sitter for the wealthy, and getting fired for overstepping boundaries with her client’s personal items. Lost and lonely, the protagonist meets Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor). He’s from Tuscany and is estranged from his family, so much so that he has abandoned his large villa there.
After a few hours together, the two go their separate ways, with Anna inspired to visit the region. But when she arrives in Italy, no affordable rooms are available, so she sneaks into Matteo’s home.
The next morning, she comes face to face with his family. They believe Anna to be Matteo’s fiancé, and she finds herself unable to tell them the truth. Matteo’s cousin, a winemaker named Michael (Regé-Jean Page) is asked to show her the sights. Despite a rough initial meeting, the two find themselves falling for each other, and Anna continues her lying ways.
The humor is very broad here, meaning that many of the jokes garner eye-rolls instead of genuine laughter. But at least the cast are likable. Bailey tries her best to give Anna a kind nature. The writing isn’t strong enough for the actress to sell the character’s bizarre acts, but one still admires watching the lead work hard to sell the material.
The same goes for Page, who is a charismatic screen presence. There is some nice interplay between the two leads when they first meet. And a couple of the supporting roles earn a chuckle or two. Although she ultimately disappears from the story, best friend Claire (Aziza Scott) is fun to watch, showing her frustration and critiquing Anna’s choices in a good-natured way.
And as one might expect, the locations are gorgeous. The village, estates and farms shown in the film are all very pleasing to the eye and certainly make one want to spend time in the region. Additionally, there are some shots of food and meals being prepared that look delicious.
But while the film includes pleasing visuals and a strong cast, their charm can only go so far.
Nothing in the story comes as a surprise from the first plot point to the last. And while occasionally cute, most of the verbal interplay between the characters lack an edginess or sharp wit that might make up for the tale’s predictability. There might even have been some tension if the initial spark between Anna and Matteo was still there after he reappears, but the figure is depicted as little more than a cad with few redeeming qualities.
Pictures like this truly struggle to suspend disbelief, as they hinge entirely on the main character making the worst possible decision at every turn in order to move the story forward. In fact, a couple of other characters also end up following suit in a manner that feels forced. Were any of these individuals actually acting out like this in the real world, it would not only be upsetting, but unforgivable. Instead, the script hastily attempts to explain the lead’s bad decisions away, but it simply isn’t convincing. Add some over-the-top scoring during the final act as Anna and family members dramatically declare their true feelings for each other, and it all ends up feeling corny rather than endearing.
It’s unfortunate that You, Me & Tuscany looks like something that was much more fun to shoot than it is to watch. Both the lead performers are very likable and deserve better. One can see how, with sharper writing and a few more surprises, the story might have made a lasting impression. Alas, not enough of the humor works and the romance doesn’t make one swoon enough to earn the film a recommendation.
VISIT: WWW.CINEMASTANCE.COM
