She loves him. She loves him not. He loves her. He loves her not. One woman. Two men. She’s living a lie and falling in love under the Tuscan sun.
How did that happen? That premise, by Kristin Engle, involves a young woman, an Italian villa and a big fib. That notion was turned into a script by Engle’s screenwriter husband Ryan Engle. It’s not the kind of project that usually includes a Black female lead character. But that unique possibility drove producer Will Packer (Girls Trip) to build a love story around that atypical casting. Something in the mold of My Big Fat Greek Wedding or Mamma Mia!. Something that meets rom/com genre requirements but also adds a fresh spin.
The night the very unprofessional house sitter Anna (Halle Bailey, The Little Mermaid) winds up in a hotel bar alone, not much is going right. She’s just lost a job for wearing her last client’s clothes (Nia Vardalos, My Big Fat Greek Wedding). A depressed Anna catches the eye of an Italian tourist, Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor). He casually mentions that he owns an empty villa in a small Tuscan town. Before you can say ‘arrivederci,’ she’s on a plane to Italy—and he has no idea.
With director Kat Coiro (Marry Me) at the helm, all the production pieces are assembled in a very simple and commercial way. The bright lighting and glossy cinematography (Danny Ruhlmann) make Tuscany look like a shiny, postcard-perfect setting. However, it’s not as impressive as the cinematography in The Equalizer 3, which made Italy’s Amalfi Coast so dramatically beautiful you’d want to grab your passport and go. For a broke twenty-something, Anna dresses awfully well (costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini) and has lots of clothes for someone who arrived in Italy with just a purse and a shoulder bag. Another hiccup is the bland, mediocre rom/com score (composer John Debney).
By comparison, the very catchy playlist is more successful, mirrors Anna’s journey and helps to create a hip, romantic mood: Grammy winner Olivia Dean crooning ‘So Easy (To Fall in love),’ Ari Lennox’s ode to Black women ‘Soft Girl Era,’ ‘Let Me Love You’ by Mario and Estelle’s meditative ‘Live, Love, Learn.’ Production designer Elena Albanese (The Spiderwick Chronicles) is a champ at making the villa gorgeous. Also, momentum is never an issue because editors Zene Baker and Troy Takaki (Almost Christmas) give the film a steady, engaging rhythm. What’s on view is sometimes formulaic, sometimes unpredictable.
Anna arrives in Matteo’s hometown of San Conessa (actually Pienza in Tuscany’s Val d’Orcia region). She barely has a dime in her pocket. Stranded, with all the hotels booked, a friendly taxi driver Lorenzo (Marco Calvani) drives her to Matteo’s villa, Casa Luna. She sneaks in and spends the night. In the morning, she encounters his family and lies about why she’s there. Surprisingly, they embrace her. There’s Matteo’s mom Gabriella (Isabella Ferrari), the very wary grandmother Nonna Alessia (Stefania Casini, 1900), dad Vincenzo (Paolo Sassanelli) and the wild sister Francesca (Stella Pecollo). But the relative that catches Anna’s eye is Michael (Regé-Jean Page, Bridgerton), Matteo’s very suave cousin—and rival.
Coiro handles what’s in front of her well. Her directing style is pretty standard for the genre. No striking artistry, just proficient filmmaking, and she builds the romance, jealousy and drama efficiently. But for a romantic comedy, the romance far outweighs the funny stuff. It misses opportunities for physical humor or biting satire. Most of the comedy comes from Anna’s smart mouth friend Claire (Aziza Scott, Home Before Dark). But there’s something so cliché about the character, the mannerisms and dialogue that Claire borders on being a sassy Black woman trope.
Coiro is far better with the flirting, goo-goo eyes, heart-yearning elements. Which is good news for those who like involving love stories, especially female audiences. They’ll find it easy to put themselves in Anna’s shoes and ogle the man she adores. Why? Because there’s no shortage of glam shots of the very photogenic Page. Shirt on. Shirt off. Smiling bright enough to light up the screen. His Bridgerton fans get all the Regé-Jean they can handle.
There’s a weird part to Engle’s script. Basically, the lead character is a con artist with little remorse. Unethical and hardly a role model. It’s a bit unsettling. But her masquerade gives the movie its distinct verve. And along the way, the duplicitous interloper mends a family that’s in great discord. Gabriella says: “You are the key to bringing our family together.” Also, Anna’s secondary trait as a wannabe chef, trained but not a professional, adds a cuisine angle that’s oh so perfect for Italy.
Halle Bailey has an accessible young woman quality and plays a habitual liar in the most charming way. Casting her instead of a supermodel makes this Anna very approachable. However, some may wonder what could have been if a comic actress was in the role. Someone with the comedic instinct of Tiffany Haddish or Melissa McCarthy who knows how to milk the humor out of scenes. It’s a thought. Meanwhile, Page, who’s matinee idol handsome and very debonair, gives a performance that lacks depth and layering. Pecollo as the very saucy, twerking sister is hysterical. The rest of the supporting cast is vivacious and very amped up, like they’re on a TV show.
It’s easy to ignore the flaws and just have a good time under the Tuscan sun. She loves him. She loves him not. She lies. She mends. She entertains.
