‘You, Me & Tuscany’ is a far better romcom than I was expecting. The setting is undeniably idyllic, even if the premise itself is rather fanciful. We follow a young woman who makes a living house-sitting in luxury homes, only to be caught wearing the clothes of the owner and is promptly dismissed. At a low point, drowning her sorrows in a hotel bar, she meets a wealthy, charming man who happens to own an unoccupied villa in Tuscany. With nowhere else to go, she ends up there – only for his family to mistakenly assume that the two are engaged.

There are clear parallels here with ‘California Schemin’’, released on the same day, in that both films hinge on a façade we know will eventually be exposed. But the premise here feels more rooted in classic romantic comedy tradition. There are echoes of ‘While You Were Sleeping’ and ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ – the latter even being explicitly referenced – and the film leans comfortably into those familiar beats.

What lifts it is the central pairing, with Halle Bailey bringing warmth and charm to Anna. It’s refreshing to see two black leads in a genre that hasn’t always made space for that, even if the film could perhaps have woven that aspect more meaningfully into the narrative itself. Still, their chemistry carries much of the film.

Visually, it’s stunning. Tuscany is presented in all its sun-drenched beauty, and the cinematography does a great deal of the heavy lifting. There’s also a lightly philosophical touch, embodied in the taxi driver who ferries Anna around in a tiny Fiat, offering the film’s central line: “By living a fake life you might find truth in your own — or you’ll go to prison.” It neatly captures the film’s playful moral ambiguity.

Of course, the film indulges in plenty of Italian stereotypes, and the structure is comfortingly predictable. When two characters initially clash, we know exactly where things are heading, and any obstacles that arise are resolved in suitably satisfying fashion. But that’s part of the charm. It doesn’t try to reinvent the genre – it simply delivers a well-crafted, visually rich and engaging romantic fantasy that knows exactly what it is.