They say that “imitation is the highest form of flattery,” but, when that sincere admiration begins teetering on the brink of becoming derivative, much of the magic and charm is lost. And that, for what it’s worth, is the downfall of this much-anticipated romantic comedy from director Kat Coiro, a filmmaker best known for her short subjects, music videos and TV work. Anna (Halle Bailey) is a twenty-something wannabe chef who’s been treading water as a New York City house sitter ever since the untimely death of her culinary inspiration, her mother. Grief aside, she nevertheless seriously needs to get her life back on track, specifically by living the life that she truly wants for herself. However, as someone who’s loath to take responsibility for herself, she wallows in an ever-deepening pool of financial trouble, bad decisions and lack of direction. But a chance meeting in a hotel bar with a handsome, wealthy, globe-trotting Italian real estate mogul, Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor), launches her into an impromptu adventure with romantic potential, prompting her to spontaneously visit his elegant though unoccupied Tuscan villa (albeit uninvited, too – another of those potential bad decisions). Anna sees the trip as a catalyst for changing her life, but she soon gets more than what she bargained for when she’s forced to come up with a cover story for why she has suddenly taken over Matteo’s home, a question for his skeptical family members who care for the villa in his absence. Her explanation? She’s Matteo’s fiancée, an announcement that gets her welcomed with open arms (all unbeknownst to her alleged beau). In the meantime, however, Anna meets and begins falling for Matteo’s adopted brother, Micheal (Regé-Jean Page), a hunky, well-to-do Tuscan vineyard owner, an attraction that proves mutual. But how does she explain herself now as the sparks begin to fly between her and her fiancé’s sibling? Such is the premise for what follows, all set against the lush Tuscan landscape, a lively small town summer festival and life with the brothers’ comically colorful relatives (arguably the film’s strongest attribute). The fundamental problem here, though, is that the narrative isn’t especially original, drawing from storylines previously explored in other Italian romcoms like “Moonstruck” (1987) and “Under the Tuscan Sun” (2003), both of which told their tales much more effectively, making this offering appear pale by comparison. What’s more, “You, Me & Tuscany” isn’t terribly funny, either, a key component that shouldn’t be lacking in a romantic comedy. In fact, rarely does hilarity ensue. Ultimately, this release comes across more like something one would find on Lifetime, We TV or The Hallmark Channel – passable but essentially lightweight fare that’s not particularly fresh, innovative or overly engaging. In some ways, I suppose I shouldn’t have expected more than this, but it also seems like the creators of this project could have made more of an effort to come up with something a little less predictable, formulaic, sappy, and, at times, fundamentally implausible. Some have called this an ideal date night movie, but, to me, its inability to draw viewers into the story more successfully strikes me as being more like something to watch when one is at home on a Friday night stretched out on the couch in a pair of sweats with a box of bonbons with nothing better to do, the perfect background noise movie, a romcom about which there’s not a whole lot to love.
