There’s something radical in the softness of “You, Me & Tuscany.”
It’s not a cinematic magnum opus a la Ryan Coogler. It’s ice cream. Light, sweet, and a little messy.
Rom-coms remain undefeated by doing for love what superhero movies often do for belonging and humanity: inspire possibility.
“You, Me & Tuscany” thumb wrestles with grief, wanderlust, family, and self-discovery. Yes, there’s a hot Italian heir estranged from his family and an even hotter cousin-brother. But this is a love story that is less a love triangle and more of a two truths and a lie romance heavy on laughter and sandwiches. Yes, actual meat-and-cheese sandwiches.
Regé-Jean Page (of “Bridgerton” fame) does exactly what we knew he could: deliver. As Michael, he’s brooding, sexy, tender, and off-limits. This gent gives good leading man. And let me say it right now, Halle Bailey is a rom-com treasure.
Bailey, as protagonist Anna, is quirky, cutesy, reckless, and a little crazy. Her eyes evoke an innocence, wonder, and mischief all at once. She gives girl-next-door whimsy and WTF all at once. A house-sitter who does less sitting and more trying on the lives (and clothes) of the people who live in said houses? A diabolical fantasy.
Running off to Italy to escape your grief with no real plan? That’s the kind of thing reserved for Diane Lane in “Under the Tuscan Sun.” Having to lose yourself to find out who you are? That’s usually saved for Sandra Bullock in “While You Were Sleeping.”
Anna makes the kind of missteps and big leaps Black women have not often been afforded on the big screen in romanticized ways. And she gets to do it without her Blackness becoming the story. We don’t ignore her identity and her culture — we celebrate it, rather than treat it as a weight to carry. And the beauty of Anna’s love story is the romance in her falling in love with herself, her truth, with this new family, and with Michael.
Had we been able to believe that Black people in love are people in love and those stories could drive the big screen, I think Gabrielle Union and Regina Hall would have gone full Meg Ryan.
Instead, we have Black filmmakers anxiously awaiting the box-office numbers for this film, because the love stories they want to tell ride on its success.
“You, Me & Tuscany,” is one of the few times I have seen a rom-com starring Black leads treated with mainstream marketing. More broadly, rom-coms in general seem to be fading from theatrical release rosters. As this film tells its story, it also shows love to those that came before it. There’s Easter eggs nodding to “Ghost” and “Love Jones.”
Love is a core human experience. We can’t let the genre that tells its stories be relegated to streaming. Rom-com fans of all identities cherish “When Harry Met Sally.” There’s a reason Ryan Coogler has said he wants to make a rom-com that good.
We should all get to see ourselves in softness. And when we tell good stories, all people will connect. Representation, and the sheer shoulder-relaxing indulgence of the love stories by authors like New York Times bestsellers Jasmine Guillory, Tia Williams, and Kennedy Ryan, are leading the charge in Black romantic novels with crossover audiences. When Mara Brock Akil reimagined Judy Blume’s “Forever” for Netflix, it wasn’t just Black people who kept it in the Top 10 for four weeks and netted a 97 percent critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Love really is love. While I enjoy a good from-the-couch romance, “You, Me & Tuscany” affirmed the beauty of the theater. Community.
At the AMC Boston Common, the seats were filled with critics and fans, making for a cross-cultural and intergenerational crowd. Most people quietly sang along as Olivia Dean’s “So Easy” played in one scene, and Mario’s “Let Me Love You” became a recurring anthem. A chorus of giggles and gags were guaranteed every time Anna’s best friend Claire (Aziza Scott) picked up the phone and stole the scene. We gasped when Michael flexed those abs. We knew every time her discount driver turned bestie Lorenzo (Marco Calvani) entered the chat, the laughs would travel from our belly. We fell in love with this big, Italian family the way we did in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” I love movies that elicit communal response. It’s why we go to the movies — to fall into the story as a collective.
It shouldn’t be radical to see Black people in love without struggle and toxicity on the big screen. It shouldn’t be unique to see a Black woman finding herself with adventure and joy the “Eat, Pray, Love” way. But when you see it so rarely, the radicality is real. But I am always reminded as to why this representation is vital. The more people see us as soft and loving, the less they jump to conclusions.
As I exited the theater, two young Black women saw an employee with a storage bin of rolled-up posters. One of them wanted “The Drama.” He generously handed it over. As they happily walked away, merch in hand, a different employee saw the poster and immediately thought they were stealing. They frolicked away. Frolicked right on out the doors and into the streets, not letting anyone steal their joy.
I thought of Anna in Italy, lost in a lie and finding her truth. That’s the biggest love story of the film. Sure, Anna is a Black woman in love and that’s beautiful. She is also a loved Black woman. Oh, how the softness of that counters life’s sharp edges.
Soft girl era is something the socialmedialites are desperately in search of, and so am I. “You, Me & Tuscany,” takes us there.
★★★
YOU, ME & TUSCANY
Directed by Kat Coiro. Written by Ryan Engle and Kristin Engle. Starring Halle Bailey, Regé-Jean Page, Aziza Scott, Marco Calvani, Isabella Ferrari. At Alamo DraftHouse Boston, AMC, Apple Cinemas, Patriot Cinemas, Showcase de Lux, Showcase SuperLux, The Majestic 7. 105 min. PG-13.
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Jeneé Osterheldt can be reached at jenee.osterheldt@globe.com. Follow her @sincerelyjenee and on Instagram @abeautifulresistance.