“You, Me & Tuscany” will open in theaters nationwide April 10. Credit: Courtesy of Ami Murby from Universal Pictures
Romantic comedies in the modern era of filmmaking often fall victim to common tropes and stereotypes — the creatives behind “You, Me & Tuscany” aim to escape this fate.?
The film, which releases in theaters April 10, was written by married screenwriters Ryan Engle and Kristin N. Engle, and stars Halle Bailey, of “The Little Mermaid” (2023), and Regé-Jean Page, of season one of the TV series “Bridgerton.”?
In the rom-com, Anna’s (Bailey) life is in shambles — she has abandoned her career aspiration of becoming a chef and her sense of purpose is fleeting. However, a fake-dating trope, which involves a pretend-fiancé who she visits in Tuscany, Italy, leads her to meet Michael (Page).?
The film then follows Anna and Michael’s love story as the two get to know one another against the backdrop of Tuscany, finding their own paths along the way.?
In a roundtable discussion Tuesday, Page said the goal of the film is to inspire audiences to embrace their dreams, no matter how unachievable they may seem.?
“We spoke a lot about very consciously making this an uncynical rom-com,” Page said. “This is a rom-com that is absolutely committed to joy, committed to aspiration and doesn’t need to undercut that it genuinely believes in — yes — reflecting the world as it is, but also the world as it can be.”?
Bailey and Page discussed the directions they chose to take the characters in order to emphasize the humanity within them.?
Bailey said stories such as Anna’s are crucial to audiences today, as they show how real life is never flawless.?
“When I read the script, I felt such similarities in knowing that as young women, sometimes we feel like we have it all together, and the next day we feel like our life has fallen apart,” Bailey said. “Sometimes you have to get it together. You’ve got to finesse. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, and you have to get back up at the end of the day.”
Kat Coiro, the film’s director, said in depicting Anna’s character, she found that showcasing her vulnerability in its most sincere form was of utmost importance.?
“When it comes to my process, it’s really about capturing human emotion,” Coiro said. “It can be funny, it can be sad, it can be heartbreaking, it can be heartwarming, and that’s kind of how life is. When I approach a film like this, I really approach it through that character of Anna, and making sure that she is on a journey that feels real and true.”
Coiro and Will Packer, one of the film’s producers, discussed how the film fits into today’s landscape of modern rom-coms — citing it as an “escapist modern romantic comedy.”?
“Romantic comedies have become very cynical,” Packer said. “This is not that kind of movie. This is a movie that’s not just about showing where we are today, but it’s also a reminder of where we could be. It’s hopeful in that way.”
Page said shooting on location in Tuscany was important in the making of the film. He said getting to shoot in the same country the film takes place inspired him every day.?
“I’m personally very invested in aspirational movies or in escapist movies,” Page said. “We woke up in that country every day, and we enjoyed that very same real beauty. It’s not a made-up version of Italy, it’s a version that we lived.”?
Coiro said the making of the film was driven by the goal of authentic Italian representation.?
“That comes from conversation and listening to the Italian people,” Coiro said. “The last thing we wanted to do was drop in and make an Italian movie that just used Italy as a backdrop.”?
Coiro cited the film’s use of traditional Tuscan music, traditions specific to the region in which they take place and all of the featured cuisine, as examples of their accuracy.
“The best version of a rom-com is when that location and that backdrop becomes an additional character,” Packer said. “It’s another great reason to see this on the big screen, because [Coiro] really luxuriates in those landscapes, that food, that culture and the nuances.”?
Bailey said filming in Italy inspired her to embrace Anna’s uncertainty, and helped her feel better connected to her character arc.?
“I love the fact that the setting and where we were really influenced the story,” Bailey said. “It helped us build that chemistry that Anna and Michael were supposed to have. I mean, when you’re in such a beautiful place, and you’re learning things about yourself and finding yourself, it’s really beautiful to do that in such an amazing place.”
Bailey and Page also discussed the importance of representation and diversity within the film, as the film features two Black leading actors.?
“If it’s normal in real life, it should be normal on screen,” Page said. “If you expect to fall in love someday, you should expect to see us fall in love on screen. That’s how it should work.”?
Packer echoed this thought. He said the film strives to unite audiences through its emphasis on representation on the big screen.
“I’m really hoping that audiences will connect and gravitate to this, because it’s really authentic,” Packer said. “It’s a universal story, but It’s told through a very specific [point of view]. To me, that is what this medium is all about.”?
