The romantic comedy You, Me & Tuscany centers on Anna, an American who becomes ingratiated with an Italian family after tricking them into thinking she is marrying their son Matteo. But tensions rise when Anna begins to develop feelings for the family’s other son, Michael. While some positive messages can be gleaned from the movie, it comes with plenty of sexual jokes and some crude language.
Few places in the world can rival Italy when it comes to the food scene. Italian cuisine is a staple worldwide, and its culinary influences continue to shape kitchens and chefs today.
That’s why Anna planned to go there with her mother. She, like her mother, loved cooking, and her mom planned to fly the two of them out to Tuscany just as soon as Anna finished up culinary school.
But then Anna’s mother passed away suddenly, and Anna dropped out of school, picking up work as a housekeeper in New York City to pay the bills. A year later, she lives vicariously through the wealthy clients for whom she works, imagining a life of luxury for herself.
It was happenstance that she bumped into Matteo at a hotel bar. He’s an Italian man traveling the world for his real estate job. He also happens to be from the Tuscan region. He left his family (and his empty villa) behind in his hometown of San Connessa a year ago and hasn’t looked back since.
When Matteo hears Anna’s story, he tells her that she should go visit Tuscany. After all, she’s still got that ticket from her mother, and it’d be good for her to make those memories.
That’s how, spur of the moment, Anna, with scarcely $500 to her name, ended up in San Connessa. Unfortunately, spur of the moment meant she hadn’t reserved a place to stay, and the town’s upcoming festival has left all nearby lodgings fully booked.
All except one.
Anna remembers Matteo’s empty villa. It seems far better than sleeping on some park bench, so she finds the key and invites herself in.
After a night of rest, Anna begins to snoop. She discovers an engagement ring left in Matteo’s drawer. And as she tries the fancy ring on, that’s when Matteo’s mother and grandmother walk in, exclaiming that the police are on their way.
But then they spot the ring on her finger. Matteo’s mother, Gabriella, begins to rejoice that Anna must be engaged to Matteo. And with a bit of panicked convincing (and two police officers staring her down), Anna latches onto the idea.
She knows it’s a lie, and she intends to tell the truth. But all the food, hugs and kind gestures only serve to toss her deeper into the pit she’s dug for herself.
Oh, and Anna also finds herself quickly falling for Matteo’s brother, the handsome Michael.
It cannot last, Anna admits. But maybe all this love and kindness might last for a few more days—just long enough for her to enjoy a small-town Italian festival?
So long as no one finds out the truth, of course.
Anna admits her lie to a taxi driver with whom she forms a friendship. He encourages her to tell the family the truth. And to her credit, Anna earnestly intended to follow the advice—only to panic when the extended family surprised her with plenty of hugs and smiles.
Speaking of that family, they’re extremely welcoming and friendly to Anna, bringing her in as one of their own. Matteo’s mother, Gabriella, works hard to help Anna set up the wedding. And when Gabriella learns that Anna’s parents both died, she tenderly tells Anna that she can consider them her family now.
Anna’s not the only one to have been swept into this loving family. We’re told that Gabriella and her husband adopted Michael after his parents (their relatives) died in a car crash, and they raised Michael as their own.
Michael, at one point, confronts Matteo for failing to support his family. The man had abandoned his wife and kids suddenly after he felt as if too much responsibility had been thrust upon him. Later, Matteo apologizes for his behavior.
Gabriella insists on part of the wedding ceremony containing a moment wherein all past mistakes are forgiven. Likewise, someone else states that “mistakes do not define us—they teach us,” helping a woman to not overburden herself with guilt.
Anna reveals that, because she spent so much time cooking with her now-deceased mother, she struggles to stand in front of an oven because it reminds her of that relationship. Nevertheless, when her “technically soon-to-be father-in-law” asks her to help him for a restaurant competition, Anna agrees to assist.
A man talks briefly about the Cathedral of San Connessa. Background songs reference heaven, prayer and salvation. For a festival, townsfolk dress in medieval garb that includes religious wear. Someone calls Matteo the “Prodigal Son.”
Someone describes Anna like an “angel” who “fell from the sky.” Michael explains that the name of his Sangiovese grapes are derived from the Latin for “blood of Jupiter.”
A woman says that “we fall down and get back up—that’s Bible.”
Matteo invites Anna to his hotel room for a one-night stand, but as Anna gets ready in the bathroom, he falls asleep shirtless instead. Later, as Anna snoops around Matteo’s home, she finds condoms.
Anna admits to wearing another woman’s lingerie: We see a small amount of the top’s lacy material exposed as she rushes to get out of it. We also see Anna in a shirt and her underwear. We see Anna in a sports bra. Anna often wears outfits that reveal a large percentage of her breasts. Anna takes a shower (though nothing critical is seen).
A woman, Francesca, admits to having an active and unrepentant affair on her husband, since “a sidepiece is key to a healthy marriage.” We later see the man with whom she is cheating. He’s a plumber, and Francesca winks at Anna, claiming that the toilet was broken again. At one point, she pulls out a vegetable and claims it reminds her of the man’s genitalia. Francesca later states her concern that her period is late, implying her cheating partner may have accidentally impregnated her. Her behavior is played for laughs rather than criticized, and he faces no repercussions for her actions.
Michael obviously pines after Anna, and though he makes it apparent that he would not intentionally pursue those feelings because of Anna’s “engagement,” he nevertheless talks and acts in a way that certainly does not show restraint. Anna welcomes such moments. At one point, she intentionally straddles him to get out of a car when her door won’t open. And she (and the camera) ogles Michael’s shirtless body when sprinklers compel him take his shirt off. Women who run across the couple during a tour make sexual comments because of his body, such as “you can eat, pray and love me” as well as many sly references to arousal.
A woman shakes her rear. Men and women kiss. A woman encourages a female friend to have sex with a man. A woman references a man’s genitals.
Two men connected to the family are introduced together and are often seen next to each other, occasionally with arms around each other’s backs. While not explicitly stated that these two minor characters are partners, many will interpret it this way.
At one point, two men get into a fight, rolling around on the ground and throwing punches. Someone worries that Anna is visiting the kind of place that “steals black peoples’ organs.”
We hear one f-word and five s-words. We also hear a variety of other crudities, including “a–,” “b–ch,” “d–n” and “h—.” God’s name is used in vain nine times, and Jesus’ name is likewise used as a crudity once.
A man uses a word that’s used as slang for female genitalia as his car’s name, claiming the word means “cute.” This is used many times.
People drink liquor, wine and beer. At one point, Anna and Michael taste many different wines, and Anna becomes inebriated, later suffering from a hangover.
Someone says that “in wine, there is truth—so just ask for a glass of wine.”
Michael and Matteo’s father encourages Michael to pursue Anna romantically despite his genuine belief that Anna is engaged to Matteo. This strange advice comes because he recognizes Michael’s attraction to her and believes Anna likes him, too. While this observation is true, the advice is cruel to his other son.
Where better to shoot a romantic comedy than Tuscany? Its towns are charming and rustic, and its natural scenery is the kind of place where romantic backdrops are a dime a dozen.
But honestly? You, Me & Tuscany was more compelling outside of its romantic side—in the moments when it explored Anna’s relationship with this family to whom she has become connected. There are some strong moments here about family and forgiveness that play better than the romantic arc ever does.
That’s, of course, not to mention that the premise doesn’t initially come across as romantic—that of a woman who deceives people into thinking she’s marrying into the family after breaking into their home. If this movie’s protagonist was a man, most would call that idea downright creepy. And even with its female protagonist, you nevertheless cannot help but feel for the family with whom she’s built this inauthentic relationship. One wonders how her lie will inevitably be addressed. Fortunately for her (and us), because the movie is a romantic comedy, such things are handwaved and very quickly resolved into a feel-good ending.
What isn’t as feel-good, however, are some of its content issues, many of which could have been avoided. Unfortunately, plenty of its jokes are sexual in nature—including a recurring gag about a woman cheating on her husband with no repercussions. Some crude language and drunkenness also occur in the movie.
So while some bits of this Italy-centric romantic comedy may be cooked al dente, plenty other moments come off a little too crudo for families.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
