After losing her job and her housing in one day, directionless young chef Anna Montgomery impulsively flies to Tuscany to stay at the empty villa of a charming Italian she barely knows. When his warm, boisterous family arrives unexpectedly, a panicked Anna lets them believe she’s their son’s fiancée, a lie that quickly spirals out of control when his cousin-slash-brother Michael shows up, and the two begin falling for each other.

As Anna, Halle Bailey is a radiant, likable lead. Anna is still grieving the loss of her mother and feeling disconnected from the one thing that brings her real joy – cooking. Bailey, who won me over as Ariel in the live-action version of The Little Mermaid, shows her determination and sweetness, blossoming when she is surrounded by people who have clearly grown to care about her. It’s her performance that grounds the film, even with the implausibilities that the script asks you to swallow.

Those contrivances are considerable. Anna’s plan to crash at Matteo’s villa falls apart when Matteo’s mother and grandmother show up unexpectedly, and, in a panic, Anna lets them believe she is Matteo’s fiancée. It’s a little lie that becomes a big problem when Matteo’s cousin/brother (don’t worry, they explain it), Michael (Regé-Jean Page), arrives.

Page manages to keep Michael’s surliness from curdling into something less charming, and opposite Bailey, he finds a rhythm that the film is smart enough to let breathe. Director Kat Coiro seems to understand that natural chemistry only works if you leave it alone. And Page and Bailey definitely have chemistry. Watching them play off one another is a treat, and I can’t say I minded that the two actors seemed to be attending most of the award shows together this season, either as friends or to market the film. It was a good plan, because they sparkle together off-screen as well.

I’m honestly not going to nitpick all of the “that would never happen” plot points because this is a romantic comedy, and romantic comedies are full of “that would never happen” moments. It’s one of the reasons I love the genre so much. I got a lot of While You Were Sleeping vibes watching this movie. Falling for one guy, then falling for his relative while he’s away (or sleeping! ha). While You Were Sleeping is one of my favorite romantic comedies, so it makes sense that I was utterly charmed by You, Me & Tuscany.

If you want a nitpick, and in a film like this, only the most committed curmudgeon goes looking for one, it’s that a tight-knit, observant Italian family would wholeheartedly accept a complete stranger as their estranged son’s fiancée. Not one of them thinks to ask a single hard question about the woman their son apparently got engaged to without mentioning it. Sure, they use the excuse that Matteo hasn’t spoken to his family in a year, but no one in the family thought to call or text him when Anna shows up? At least in While You Were Sleeping, Peter was in a coma, so there could be no way to get confirmation until he woke up!

That being said, the Tuscan landscape earns its billing as a co-star, and the film knows it. There’s something almost unfair about it. Drop any rom-com into the Italian countryside, along with some mouthwatering food, and it becomes harder to resist. You, Me & Tuscany leans into that shamelessly, and I can’t say I minded. More often than not, the Italian scenery is my favorite part of these movies.

You, Me & Tuscany knows precisely what it is and delivers it with two leads who make you root for them, even when you already know how it’s going to end. It’s a charming, feel-good romantic comedy that is bound to become a favorite in the genre.

Watched: 04/11/2026
Notable Song: Let Me Love You by Mario