Jeri Jacquin
Coming to Bluray and Digital from director Kat Coiro and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment comes a story of love and fate with YOU, ME & TUSCANY.
Anna (Halle Bailey) is a young woman who is having a hard time finding her place in the world. After the death of her mother, her dream of becoming a chef like her has fallen to the wayside. After being summarily fired from her latest job, she decides to drown herself at the hotel bar where she meets Mateo Costa (Lorenzo de Moor), a tall, handsome Italian. Getting together to continue drowning their sorrows, Mateo shows pictures of his villa in Italy and suggests that Anna see his country and be fearless in living life.
Waking up to a note of thanks, Anna decides to take Mateo’s advice and use a ticket she had to Italy. Arriving in Tuscany, she immediately discovers that her whim was a bit ill-planned as the town’s hotels were filled because of a festival. Being drawn to a small shop and the food, she meets Michael (Rege-Jean Page) and their meeting is a bit sarcastic and leaves Anna standing in the middle of the cobblestone street. That’s when she gets an idea! Mateo mentioned that his villa has been empty for over a year.
Lorenze (Marco Calvani) is the friendly taxi driver that hears Anna’s story and offers friendly advice on how to handle her situation. Once she arrives at the villa, Anna is overwhelmed at how beautiful it is and, by the next morning, gets a surprise when Mateo’s Noona (Stefania Casini) and mother Gabriela (Isabella Ferrari). Having to explain herself quickly, it is Noona who sees a certain ring on her finger! Gabriela deduces that she must be special to Mateo. Anna falls into the deception and, the next thing she knows, is introduced to Mateo’s family – and his cousin Michael.
Within days, Anna finds herself mixing well with the family, and spends time with Michael learning he runs the family vineyard. Explaining that he and Mateo were raised together, Anna learns the story of the families and what seemed to be separating them. It all comes to real when Mateo returns home and discovers Anna sleeping in his bed. Wanting to come clean, something changes his mind and he plays the game, much to the sadness of Michael.
Something is happening in the family as Anna finds herself taken with them all, and she must decide how to tell them all that things aren’t as they seem. There is something in Tuscany that is changing them all.
Bailey as Anna is a young woman who is basically floundering around, not know what she wants to do with her life. Ignoring her talent as a chef, finding herself in Italy reminds her of the life she had originally planned. Meeting the Acosta family through deceit, she finds herself taken with all of them, even Michael. Bailey is charming and bubbly portraying Anna giving herself a place in the rom-com genre.
Page as Michael is a man that has been the responsible ‘son’ in the Acosta family. Helping to keep the family business afloat, he takes it seriously. When Anna shows up, he finds that perhaps there is something else in life to feel good about. Enjoying her company, it is when Mateo shows up that his bubble is burst. Page gets to be the good looking, semi-serious main manly character and, of course, he does it so well. Bridgerton fans have no problem accepting him in this role since his presence in the successful series made an impact. As Michael, Page gives us a charming character that doesn’t overdo the hawt Italian stereotype but instead, a calm and cool vineyard owner that raises temperatures under the Tuscan sun.
Moor as Mateo does give us the hawt Italian stereotype. From the moment he is on screen, he moves in on Anna with as much smoothness as the drink in his hand. His main complaint is that his separation from his family has him constantly moving for business. Once home, Mateo once again plays the role of a man who says one thing and then does another. I have to say, he did make me laugh with his antics. Moor brings more charm to an already charming film.
Shout out to Calvani as Lorenzo because he is the kind of guy I would hang out with! Fun, funny, smart and a lover of food while driving. Also, Casini as Noona because her character is exactly how my own grandmother would have been!
Other cast include Cocoa Brown as Cora, Desiree Popper as Isabella, Emanuele Pacca as Giuseppe, Nia Vardalos as Mrs. Dunn, and Aziza Scott as Claire.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own home theaters. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.
MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that, you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere, please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.
Exclusive Features include You & Me, Racing Through Tuscany, La Familgia, Taste of Italy, Going Green in Italy and Feature Commentary with Director Kat Coiro and Producer Will Packer.
YOU, ME & TUSCANY is a fun rom-com from start to finish. Giving us a look at the wide-open space of Tuscany is always very cool and makes me want to immediately get a passport and make my way there. The green, the vineyard, beautiful homes, friendly town and food that looks absolutely delicious. One thing for sure, the film could be used by the tourism industry if they wanted more people to visit.
The film is fun, amusing, so colorful and makes for a fantastic date night in. There is always a place in everyone’s home entertainment library for a romantic comedy! The cast is so good together but, of course, I have favorites in Lorenzo and Noona. I just love that the Acosta family works together in the family business and that they are just as loud and opinionated at my own family. That’s what makes the film relatable for many.
So, make a bowl of pasta, grab the red wine and get comfy for your own trip to Tuscany!
In the end – she found herself in Tuscany!
