‘You, Me and Tuscany’ review: Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page in a predictable but charming crowd-pleasing film

There are worse things than seeing the beautiful people in Tuscany. Halle Bailey shines as Anna, the heroine of this romantic fairy tale. Regé-Jean Page doesn’t have much to do except smile and show off his abs but he’s pretty good at it. You, me and Tuscany It is entirely by numbers, from the film-as-tourism approach to the large Italian family owning a restaurant. But it’s expertly directed by Kat Coiro and produced by Will Packer to maximum crowd-pleasing effect, offering the kind of beautiful escapist fantasy that’s especially appealing in these turbulent times.

In the early scenes in New York, the film’s rickety action takes place more slowly than it should. Anna, an American living in difficult circumstances who lost her last babysitting job, meets handsome Italian Matteo (Lorenzo De Moor) in a hotel bar. Through the kind of bizarre adventures that only happen in rom-coms and sitcoms, the next day she sets off for his home village, the fictional San Conisa, is unable to find a hotel room and lets herself into his gorgeous, unoccupied villa.

Since Anna’s arrival in Tuscany, Danny Ruhlman’s gorgeous cinematography is as much a reason to watch as the cast. Flying over the Tuscan hills, the camera wanders lovingly through Matteo’s elegantly elegant home and captures every sparkling ray of sunshine.

Mateo’s family wrongly assumes Anna is his fiancée and goes along with the claim, which she regrets once she falls in love with his cousin Michael (Page), who runs the family vineyard. You’re not even supposed to wonder if They’ll come together, how quickly.

This isn’t the kind of movie you look for realism, of course. Or originality. this He is The kind of movie that doesn’t miss any trope, and discusses them all. Back in New York, Anna has a sassy and honest best friend, Claire (Aziza Scott), who gets some of the best lines. In Tuscany, she meets a lively taxi driver, Lorenzo (Marco Calvani), who comically drives a small Fiat and immediately becomes her friend and confidant. I arrived in time for the colorful village festival. And it never rains in this fantasy. Anna and Michael get wet from the sprinkler system at his vineyard, giving Michael a reason to take off his wet shirt without enduring any actual bad weather. Anna had dropped out of culinary school after her mother, a chef, died, so of course she eventually took up cooking in the family restaurant.

Through it all, Billy’s star power shines through. She commands the camera’s attention, off-screen and gives Anna an innocent energy that makes her tricks seem harmless and innocuous. The film gives her a few Julia Roberts-style rom-com moments, and little monologues that she handles with flair. When she finally tells Michael she loves him, it’s a bit like the “I’m just a girl standing in front of a boy” scene from the movie “I’m Just a Girl Standing in front of a Boy.” notting hill, But with the second soaking of the spray.

Paige seems a bit tough, but so is Michael, a depressed character who spends most of the film resisting the woman he believes is engaged to his cousin. Some old dialogue tells us that when he was a child Michael’s parents died and he was raised by his aunt and uncle as a brother to Matteo. Ryan Engel’s script orchestrates things so that Michael and Anna can bond with their dead parents, but this plot device also leads to a rare, quieter scene that gives Paige more to work with.

cuero (Marry me) He directs romantic and family scenes efficiently. Decorations are saved for cinematography and for visual touches such as bright medieval costumes for the festival parade and well-designed food.

At one point a group of tourists stops at the vineyard. Two women discover Anna and Michael kissing and compare what they see to him Under the Tuscan sun and Eat, pray, love. Creative people You, me and Tuscany They know exactly the path they are on and have no interest in deviating from it. Fortunately, they make this work.