You, Me & Tuscany

“You, Me & Tuscany is a soothing watch that welcomes a Black woman into the soft, loving embrace of a pasta- and wine-filled happily ever after.”

Title: You, Me & Tuscany (2026)
Director: Kat Coiro 👩🏼🇺🇸
Writer: Ryan Engle 👨🏼🇺🇸

Reviewed by Li 👩🏻🇺🇸

Technical: 4/5

Streaming platforms are rife with soulless rom-coms. But Netflix didn’t make Irish Wish (2024) and Your Place or Mine (2023) for kicks—they made them because audiences want romantic, escapist stories that are both funny and sweet. It’s just too bad that the current state of the once-mighty rom-com now churns out slop that’s designed to be background noise.

Enter You, Me & Tuscany. First of all, props to Universal Pictures for distributing an $18 million movie in theaters—the kind of mid-budget production that’s increasingly being squeezed out of cinemas. As for the film itself, You, Me & Tuscany indeed hits predictable plot points such as fake dating, escapist visuals of European travel, a jealous ex, and misunderstandings galore, all of which are readily found in streaming rom-coms. But the difference is, You, Me & Tuscany actually has a pulse.

Lush (but not fake-looking) visuals, a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, and polished acting remind you scene by scene that you’re watching something made by actual humans who care about what they’re putting out into the world. This isn’t to say You, Me & Tuscany is deep. It knows its lane—it’s a feel-good romance that banks on wanderlust—and mines it well. When slow-motion sprinklers prompt the male lead, Michael (Regé-Jean Page), to take off his wet shirt, the audience in my theater cackled. Bawdy family member Francesca’s (Stella Pecollo) inappropriate comments (and suggestive hip thrusts) had the crowd in stitches.

Ultimately, what sets You, Me & Tuscany apart from more forgettable fare is the main character, Anna, who steals the show. Halle Bailey’s melodious voice and doe eyes shout star quality. Any other number of actors would have sunk into this formulaic film, never to be seen again. Bailey’s charisma—helped along by a few pitch-perfect jokes by screenwriter Ryan Engle (Beast, Breaking In)—elevates You, Me & Tuscany to something eminently watchable, and even better in person with other moviegoers to laugh and “aww” along with you.

Gender: 4.25/5
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? YES

Female-directed You, Me & Tuscany glides through this category. For starters, it centers on a woman who commands the screen and the share of dialogue. The other two main characters are her love interests, Michael and Anna’s fake fiancé, Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor), and the movie does revolve around that love triangle. But the robust supporting cast is pleasantly gender-balanced.

During Anna’s Tuscan shenanigans, she relies on her New York bestie Claire (Aziza Scott) for emotional support. In a secondary storyline, Anna comes to terms with her mother’s recent death. There are plenty of women tied to the men as well: Matteo’s welcoming mother, Gabriella (Isabella Ferrari), his tough but kind nonna, Alessia (Stefania Casini), and his hilarious sister, Francesca, all help give the sense that women haven’t been forgotten in this heterosexual love story.

Race: 4.75/5

The film features Black characters played by African American Bailey and biracial British actor Page, who is Zimbabwean and English. Behind the camera, director Kat Coiro (Marry Me) and screenwriter Engle are white, but producer Will Packer (Girls Trip), who’s Black, also had a key role. Together, the team created Black references and jokes that feel lived in. Packer tells Global Grind how they approached the writing process:

The script was written colorblind. It was not written specifically for any particular character of any ethnicity or demographic … Then you add flavor. That’s what [Kat Coiro and I] talked about, be it Halle, who is a young Black American living in New York taking a journey to Italy, or Regé, who’s a Black Brit who’s an expat living in Italy.

Whatever the method, the result clicks. When vineyard sprinklers come on, dousing Anna and Michael, Anna squeals and runs away, worrying about her edges, as a Black woman in a nearby tour bus shouts encouraging words. Michael shows his corny side as he croons to Mario’s “Let Me Love You,” and Claire calls Italian Matteo “Spicy White,” cracking up our theater audience.

True, You, Me & Tuscany might not be the deepest movie that alludes to Black history or delves into any specific issue. Some of the Black characters could even be considered stereotypical—Claire and two Black female tourists demonstrate a helluva lot of “sass” for laughs—but because the film showcases a range of Blackness, the tropier bits feel balanced out. Multiracial Londoner-Italian Michael and Atlanta-raised New Yorker Anna offer regional differences, while images of Black women vacationing in Europe, Michael owning a vineyard and conducting wine tastings, and of Anna as a talented chef with an exquisite palate all go a long way towards countering clichés. There’s even socioeconomic diversity; after Anna’s single mother passed away, Anna struggled to stay in culinary school and took odd jobs to stay afloat. In contrast, Claire has a steady job at a hotel, whereas Michael inherited his parents’ vineyard and seems to live a modest but comfortable life.

One thing to consider is the film’s Italian representation, though. It’s a little more cartoonish, from extended family member Giuseppe (Emanuele Pacca) greeting Anna every crack of dawn with operatic singing, to Matteo’s family members cooking while fighting loudly in Italian, their hands gesturing wildly. But it’s a small note, and softened by Coiro’s own English-Italian American background. Ultimately, Coiro worked hard to depict Italy lovingly. In her interview with Global Grind, she says, “I want to infuse this film with not just pretty backdrops, but everything that is Italian, the food, the wine, the people, the passion.” Depth and authenticity might not be the name of the game in You, Me & Tuscany, but it delivers great racial representation nonetheless through breadth and affection.

Bonus for Body Diversity: +0.25

While it’s hardly groundbreaking for fat positivity, You, Me & Tuscany has body diversity within its cast. Larger characters Francesca and Giuseppe are warmly portrayed, though they do fall into familiar roles as comic relief. Male leads have more stereotypical bodies, with muscles (Michael) or leanness (Matteo), but it’s positive that Anna falls slightly outside of Hollywood’s strict norms of being tall and thin (and white). Petite, athletic, and curvy, Anna is an irresistible heroine who gets her man.

Mediaversity Grade: A- 4.42/5

In a time that feels like we’re just moving from one catastrophe to another, You, Me & Tuscany is a soothing watch that welcomes a Black woman into the soft, loving embrace of a pasta- and wine-filled happily ever after.

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Grade: ALiApril 12, 2026Female/Nonbinary Creator