‘You, Me & Tuscany’ Review: For When You Just Can’t Help Falling in Love

April 9, 2026

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Which one’s “You” and which one’s “Me”? (CREDIT: Giulia Parmigiani/Universal Pictures)

Starring: Halle Bailey, Regé-Jean Page, Marco Calvani, Lorenzo de Moor, Aziza Scott, Isabella Ferrari, Stefania Casini, Stella Pecollo, Paolo Sassanelli, Nia Vardalos

Director: Kat Coiro

Running Time: 105 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Plenty of Playful Innuendo

Release Date: April 10, 2026 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Aspiring young cook Anna (Halle Bailey) hasn’t been feeling very aspirational lately. Her mom (who always encouraged her dreams) recently passed away, and her bank account is running dry. She’s been making ends meet as a housesitter for fancy rich folk in the Big Apple, but she has a plane ticket to Italy that her mom bought her that’s just waiting to be redeemed if she ever wants to re-stoke her culinary ambitions. Then a chance encounter with a globetrotting Italian fellow named Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor) leads her to actually go through with that plan. Alas, she doesn’t exactly have anywhere to stay, so she just makes herself at home in Matteo’s empty Tuscan villa. Once his family discovers her, she pretends to be Matteo’s fiance, but that charade soon becomes even more untenable once she starts catching feelings for Matteo’s cousin Michael (Regé-Jean Page). And he’s not the only one who’s charmed, as pretty much the entire family instantly falls in love with her.

What Made an Impression?: A Warm Embrace: You, Me & Tuscany isn’t shy about showing off its assets (within the bounds of a PG-13 rating). If you’re feeling good about yourself in Italian wine country, why not let the sun dapple your exposed skin? That’s certainly the philosophy that Anna and Michael (and pretty much everyone else in Tuscany) seems to be operating under. And I’m not just talking about sensual openness. Despite all the lies, these characters cannot help but let the truest depths of their warm personalities shine through. Bailey has never been a more winning screen presence, and the whole experience is one wonderful big hug of a movie.
The Long and Winding (and Confusing and Regretful) Road: At one point, someone offers Anna advice in the form of what may very well be You, Me & Tuscany‘s thesis statement: sometimes making the wrong choice leads to the right choice. On the one hand, that’s mighty wise counsel, as we shouldn’t let ourselves be held back indefinitely by our mistakes. Instead, we should give ourselves the grace to move forward. However, in the context of the narrative, this runs the risk of excusing a whole lot of deception. If I were on my own Tuscan villa vacation and thus had a whole bunch of free time, I could expand my analysis about this conflict into a 5,000-10,000-word essay. For now, I’ll conclude that the emphasis on forgiveness makes for a sufficiently heartwarming message.
Have a Seat and Get Comfy: Y,M&T may be just as credulity-stretching as any other wish-fulfillment rom-com, and its understanding of Italian culture may be only slightly less broad than the Mario movies, but it’s just charming enough to get away with all that. I’ve already sung the praises of the leads and the extended family, and now it’s time to underscore all that by also mentioning Anna’s confidante. Or actually confidantes, plural, since she’s lucky enough to have two of them. First, there’s her pregnant best friend Claire (Aziza Scott), who stays back in the States and basically plays the same part that Lil Rel Howery did in Get Out. And then on the ground in Italy, there’s taxi driver Lorenzo (Marco Calvani), who basically becomes Anna’s personal chauffeur in his cozy little Fiat. He’s the audience surrogate character, assuming that you love love as much as the most devoted rom-com devotee. If you’re always pulling for the fairy tale to actually happen, but you also always offer a shoulder to cry on if it doesn’t work out, then you’ll appreciate what Lorenzo (and this whole movie, in fact), has to offer.

You, Me & Tuscany is Recommended If You Like: Wine, Bread, Pasta, Spontaneity, Tomatoes, Soil, Sandwiches

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Bruschettas

‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3’ Actually Heads to Greece – Should We Join Them?

September 7, 2023

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Is “selfie” a Greek Word? (CREDIT: Yannis Drakoulidis/Focus Features)

Starring: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Louis Mandylor, Elena Kampouris, Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Maria Vacratsis, Melina Kotselou, Elias Kacavas, Gia Carides, Joey Fatone, Gerry Mendicino, Stephanie Nur

Director: Nia Vardalos

Running Time: 92 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for A Quick Trip to a Nude Beach and a Lack of Familial Boundaries

Release Date: September 8, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) still has a wacky Greek family, but they’re not quite as boisterous as they used to be. Her dad Gus has passed away, her mom Maria (Lainie Kazan) is starting to get a little senile, and the once-regular family dinners are now few and far between. But they need to properly honor Gus’ legacy, so it’s time to head back to the homeland to make good on his final wish and deliver a journal to some of his childhood friends. Ergo, it’s time for pretty much the entire Greek population of Chicago to crowd onto a plane and enjoy several days of the sunny, low-key Mediterranean lifestyle.

What Made an Impression?: Low-Stress Love Stories: In case you’re worried about whether or not Gus’ journal is successfully delivered, well, I won’t spoil it completely. But I will say that it’s not an especially difficult task, and a rather simple MacGuffin to build an entire plot around. Which is one way of saying that there are other things going on to fill up an hour and a half, like the awkward courtship between Toula and Ian’s (John Corbett) college-age daughter Paris (Elena Kampouris) and some guy she ghosted named Aristotle (Elias Kacavas). Aristotle is along for the trip ostensibly as Aunt Voula’s (Andrea Martin) assistant, but we can all easily see through that thin cover of matchmaking. Anyway, Paris and Aristotle quickly become sweet on each other with minimal conflict. There’s some business about her failing in school, but that’s basically solved just as easily through sheer gumption. Another love story pops up as well and  gets a bit of side eye because one of the characters is a refugee. But that also becomes not a big deal just as quickly. Maybe after all the rigamarole about Ian not being Greek, the family just decided to immediately accept any and all notions of love.
It’s All Greeks to Greeks: The Portokalos family has a habit of pointing out that certain words and bits of culture are – believe it or not – thoroughly and utterly Greek. And they’ve certainly got a point, as the Hellenistic period did indeed influence much of the Western world for the next couple millennia. But when they’re actually physically in Greece, those comments hit a little differently. Which is to say: everybody knows all that already! Anyway, it’s a gag that’s worth a few chuckles.
Just Let Them Say Funny Things: So My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is low-stress, mostly plotless, and more or less an advertisement for the Greek tourism industry. But it still has some funny people doing some funny things, and it shows sparks of life when they’re allowed to make some mildly ribald comments. Andrea Martin in particular is as dynamite as ever, and she develops a charming rapport with Melina Kotselou, who’s apparently playing the mayor of the village. (It sort of makes sense in context.) Anyway, we could have used more of that odd couple combo. Otherwise, this is a sequel that’s just coasting by on the goodwill of its fanbase.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is Recommended If You Like: Greek completism

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Journals