Fun fact about Eric. He’s not a night owl like Kelly and Josh. He crashes out early. We’re talking single digits. 8 pm even. It can sometimes take him several days to finish a movie. Anyways. We tried recording a new podcast episode (on what we’ve been up to and Project Hail Mary) since we haven’t dropped one since the Oscars, but Eric fell asleep—literally—no joke—while recording.
Here’s non-photoshopped evidence:
Here’s what we have for you this week:
Concession Stand Scorecard: You, Me & Tuscany
Watchlist Worthy: Four incredible talented people over for a dramatic evening
ICYMI Pod: Rom-Com movie draft with Josh, Kelly, and Eric
This week’s movie - You, Me & Tuscany
Letterboxd Description:
She came for the pasta and got lost in the sauce.
A free-spirited American chef and reserved British lawyer embark on a whirlwind romance during a destination wedding in coastal Italy.
Best Watched With
Your yes, and friend who says yes to everything and finds themselves on a spontaneous adventure
End Credit Thoughts
We’ll be honest here. We didn’t know this movie existed until last week’s newsletter. We’ve fallen a touch behind on scheduling out the year, but to be honest, once again, it is so much fun to go into a movie blind and have it turn out to be a good time. You, Me & Tuscany knows what it is, has a vision, and executes. It’s not trying to be anything other than a rom-com, and it stays the course throughout.
Starts off as any good rom-com should: in New York City, living a dream—not yours but someone else’s—when the main character’s life is thrown off the rails, which leads to a serendipitous run-in with a beautifully handsome person that makes the main character take a risk and hope for high reward. It runs the classic rom-com tropes. The best friend who tries to speak sense into you, the goofy, laid-back local that becomes a confidant, and a series of decisions that get the main character further and further into stressful situations, but the glimpse of what life could be makes it impossible not to go with the flow.
The soundtrack was fire. A new best artist banger and a Mario track that brought us back IMMEDIATELY back to high school (or middle school for Eric). The tropes might be cliché, and the use of music might be a touch corny, but this is how rom-coms ought to feel. Reminiscent of feeling a real crush, and hoping it might work out, and experiencing the rush from thinking, “how is this my life?”
The performances are brought, and the casting was spot on. Halle Bailey as the lead, Anna, and Aziza Scott as Claire, we’re believable as best friends since forever. We knew they had been through it together, talk shit to each other daily, and, no matter what, would ride or die for one another. The love interests, Regé-Jean Page (Michael) and Lorenzo de Moor (Matteo), were charming and charismatic when the recipe called for it, and shitty and standoffish when the meal called for spice. And, yes, of course, there were plenty of muscles to eat up, and we’re not talking Zuppa di Cozze.
What really made the movie was the side characters. The supporting cast fulfilled the classic rom-com roles to a T. The over-the-top in law, the grandmother whose love you need to earn, the hard-shelled nougaty parent whose respect is not freely given, and the scandalous family member who’s sweet and endearing.
The movie starts off messy and stressful, and only gets messier and more stressful. But it’s warm, bright, and set mostly in Italy; rich culture, family drama, good food, and good wine. What’s not to love? Rom-com lovers rejoice, this is a solid one. More traditional than the one we got last week (both great for different audiences).
If you want a feel-good, easy watch, see this one in theaters. If romance is not your glass of vino, wait till streaming, and you’ll still enjoy it.
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The Invite by Olivia Wilde
Letterboxd Description:
It’ll be fun.
Joe and Angela’s marriage is on thin ice. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places.
Have Olivia Wilde really miss as a director? She did Booksmart and Don’t Worry Darling, the latter being the more questionable one. I loved Booksmart and I feel like most do. Personally, I Enjoyed Don’t Worry Darling. I only watched it once, but it’s left a good memory of the experience. Maybe because it seemed like everyone hated on Harry Styles’ performance, saying he was a turkey surrounded by eagle thespians, and I expected a much poorer performance because of it. I thought he held his own.
I digress. The Invite.
Wilde’s third feature film and it looks like a whole lot of fun. Seth Rogen is on a tear lately with the work he’s done with The Studio and Platonic. Both are fun, he’s incredible, and I believe he’ll show up and show out here. His counterparts are Penélope Cruz, Wilde, and Edward Norton—and they are the only actors and they are all stuck in an apartment for a dinner, and Rogen and Wilde’s relationship is on thin ice, and from the trailer it seems like weird shit starts to take place between the four of them? Small plot, one location, lots of drama. Super Sold. I’ll be there opening evening.
Also Directed by Olivia Wilde:
Booksmart (2019)
Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
Rom-Com Movie Draft: Spontaneously Creating Our Own Rom-Com #56
🎧 Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🎥 Watch this episode on YouTube
In this episode, Kelly, Eric, and Josh decide to do an unprepared, no research rom-com movie draft with various categories like love interest, city setting, best friend, and soundtrack to create their own rom-com.
They also dive into a myriad of side conversations, ranging from judging each other’s eating habits to debate over classic films and TV shows. The episode wraps up with the announcement of a show swap, agreeing to watch ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Shrinking’. With plenty of laughs, jokes, and a bit of chaos, this episode offers an entertaining blend of pop culture chat and personal anecdotes.
Tune in next week for | Lee Cronin’s The Mummy
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