You, me and escaping reality

Collage by Trinity Johnson, Photographer

With rolling green hills, wine tastings and a love story built on a fake engagement, “You, Me & Tuscany” was crafted with a clear purpose: escapism.

Stars Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page play unlikely lovers Anna and Michael. After Anna jets off to Tuscany on impulse, stays in a stranger's house, and convinces that stranger’s mother she is engaged to him. Things become significantly more complicated when she falls for Michael, her fauxfiancé’s cousin.

At a virtual college press roundtable, producer Will Packer and director Kat Coiro both agreed this is a film that was made with the intention of a communal viewing experience, where audiences could take a break from the realities of life while in the theater.

“This is an escapist movie, and we both feel like this is a time where we all could use a little bit of an escape from reality,” said Packer.

The film took that theme to a whole new level, filming on location in Tuscany, Italy. The filmmakers embedded themselves into the culture by utilizing Italian cast and crew and by waking up in the country every day for filming.

“I'm personally very invested particularly in aspirational movies, or in escapist movies, and this is both. That you reflect the world both as it is and as it could be,” said Page.

Coiro, who just recently directed the romantic comedy “Marry Me” said that this is a film she hopes audiences receive as well as some of the classics, because it’s more than just a love story.

“I wanted to be on that list somewhere between 'Sleepless in Seattle' and 'Notting Hill,' right at the top,” said Coiro. “Sure, it's about a beautiful woman and a beautiful man falling in love, but it's also a journey of self-discovery.”

Michael comes across as the reserved, hardworking type who never lets himself experience love, having become too caught up in providing for his family. Anna, on the other hand, is impulsive and often makes questionable decisions, but her character remains likable throughout. Bailey said that she felt connected to this character partly because of those mistakes, because that is what makes her real.

“I felt such similarities in knowing that as young women, sometimes we feel like we have it all together, and the next day, we feel like our life is falling apart,” said Bailey. “I feel like Anna, she had that bravery, she had that gumption. She was a little wild. It took her a while to get there, but she eventually did it, and I loved her arc as a young woman because I felt like I could learn so much from her,” said Bailey.

The decision to cast Bailey and Page for the roles was evident the moment Packer and Coiro read the script. Without them, Coiro said this movie would not have been made.

“It was ‘Halle has to say yes, or we don't make the movie,’ and then once we had Halle, Rege had to say yes, or we don't make the movie, because they're so specific and authentic. And Halle has this quality where she can get away with anything, literally, breaking into a villa, lying to a Nonna. So we needed her and him,” said Coiro.

The script was written by Will Packer’s frequent collaborator, Ryan Engle, better known for action films than romantic comedies — but something about this project immediately compelled Packer to take a chance on Engle’s unexpected pivot

“I was like, ‘That's great, brother, but that's not what you do.’ And he was like, ‘You gotta read it, Will. I made it with my wife. She's my inspiration for it. We wrote it together because it was born out of our love of Tuscany and romantic comedies.’ I was like, ‘Okay, you got a woman's touch in there? I wanna read it.’”

A romantic comedy premiering in theaters is already a rarity; one starring two Black leads is even more so. Packer said that the script was not written with race in mind at all, but he and Coiro felt that Bailey was the best choice for the role, and the rest flowed from there.

Bailey and Page both agree that what is normal in real life should be normal on screen.

“It shouldn't be out of the ordinary. Two Black leads in a rom-com,” said Bailey. “It's about family and love and showing that we deserve to be in these spaces, and it's so important. So I'm grateful, and I'm just happy to be here, to be honest.”
“You, Me & Tuscany” is in theaters April 10.