It feels like every other day, a new romantic comedy releases on some streaming service. When it’s a good one, I’m always left with one lingering thought: wouldn’t it have been more fun to watch that on a big screen?
“You, Me & Tuscany” – written by Ryan Engle, directed by Kat Coiro, and produced by Atlanta’s own Will Packer – is a silly, heartfelt romantic comedy made with the theatrical experience in mind.
The film, which releases on April 10, follows Anna (Halle Bailey) a culinary school dropout looking for a new lease on life who jets off to Tuscany on a whim to stay in the empty villa of Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor), the handsome Italian man that she almost had a one-night stand with. When Matteo’s family mistakes Anna for their son’s fiancé, she has to figure out how to tell them the truth while dealing with her budding feelings for Matteo’s cousin, Michael (Regé-Jean Page).
“You, Me & Tuscany” feels like a remix of rom-com greatest hits, from “While You Were Sleeping,” to “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” to “Under the Tuscan Sun.” While it taps into those rom-com tropes we all know and love, it does so with two Black leads at its center – which is, unfortunately, not generally the norm for big, romantic comedy theatrical releases. But, these are the kinds of stories that Packer – who has produced movies like “Girls Trip” and “Think Like a Man” – has made his name on.
“Throughout my career, I’ve had a lot of success in making movies that have universal themes, but happen to have Black leads. And I have audiences that have supported me throughout my career, so I’m very proud of that,” Packer said. “One of the things that Kat and I talked about was the universality of this, and the fact that this is for audiences, and keeping audience front and center, and making a movie that people can enjoy. Because it is a genre that you don’t see much on the big screen.”
Coiro said that she and Packer think of the film as a mini-vacation – if you can’t afford a trip to Tuscany, at least you can go to the theater and dream.
“The best way to go on an hour and a half vacation is in a theater, surrounded by your friends and family having a communal experience,” Coiro said. “Every frame was crafted for theatrical.”
Bailey said she loves watching romantic comedies no matter the setting, but there is something special about seeing one on a big screen.
“It definitely changes the full experience. You’re immersed in it, you can escape more, and it’s just joyful and fun,” she said. “It makes you feel good, and I think that’s what we need right now.”
Page recently experienced the power of communal viewing firsthand. He saw the movie in full for the first time in a secure location – the audience consisted of just him and a burly security guard. The two didn’t speak as they settled in for the movie, but about eight minutes in, Page heard the guard let loose a chuckle. That broke the ice, and more giggles soon followed.
“Something that creates a space for two strangers to giggle with each other is actually really powerful,” Page said.
“You, Me & Tuscany” was shot on location in Tuscany, Rome, and other locations across Italy. Page said that shooting on location added to the film’s authenticity and helped him learn that it’s impossible to separate a physical place from its people, its culture, and – of course – its food. Working in Italy with an Italian cast and crew brought a level of realness to the experience.
“It wouldn’t have been possible for us to shoot this movie on a Hollywood backlot,” Page said. “It would look right, but it wouldn’t feel right.”
For Bailey, getting in character surrounded by all that beauty was easy. She’s from Atlanta and said she found similarities between Tuscan and Southern culture that drew her in.
“It’s about family, it’s about food. When you sit around the table, you’re just accepted, you’re loved on, and free,” she said. “I really love that about Tuscany, the family theme around everything.”
When the film starts, Anna is a bit messy and a bit lost, unsure of how she wants to live her life. But, as soon as she touches down on Italian soil, Italy becomes her inspiration.
“Anna was just surrounded by such beauty, and discovering so much, and inspired, all the things, much like we were just being in that setting,” Bailey said. “It makes it so much easier to work like that, especially when you’re doing a movie about love and romance.”
Page said that building that romance with Bailey was easy.
“Halle is one of the most disarming and generous costars that I’ve ever encountered. So it’s very easy to trust Halle. And likewise, I think we built a trust very quickly where Halle knew that she could trust me,” he said. “When you’re in a romance, or a romantic comedy, there’s an emotional trust fall everyday. When you know that your co-star will catch you, chemistry is a byproduct.”
“You, Me & Tuscany” hits theaters April 10.
