Advertised as from the producer of Girls Trip (2017), there is an expectation that this film will be on that level in terms of comedy or structure. Girls Trip was about Black women who go on a journey. If you take that simple premise, there is some commonality here. Yet, instead of four, this film is about a singular, African American female who goes on a sojourn of sorts. Girls Trip was the hit flick that put Tiffany Haddish on the map, an incredibly talented, comedic presence in cinema. This film gives us Aziza Scott (One of Them Days and Home Before Dark), the Tiffany Haddish equivalent here. This film could've been as funny as Girls Trip, but one of the reasons, it's not, is that this film doesn't craft any real comedic set-pieces, and because Scott is sidelined for the most part, unlike Haddish who had a consistent presence in Girls Trip.
Director Kat Coiro, either through screenwriter Ryan Engle, or actors doing improv, references films like Eat Pray Love (2010) and Under the Tuscan Sun (2003). Those films were about single women embarking on European adventures, specifically to Italy, in order to re-discover themselves. Coiro even wrote and directed an independent film called And While We Were Here (2013), starring Kate Bosworth, that was about a woman who retreats to an Italian island. Writing and directing And While We Were Here is probably what got Coiro this job. The problem is those single women weren't all that funny, at least not by themselves. Coiro should've referenced something like How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), which had its titular character go on a trip, but she brought her friend, played by Whoopi Goldberg, along for the ride. Goldberg provided the comic relief, which greatly helped that 1998 film. Aziza Scott could've done the same here, but again, the narrative sidelines her. She pops in once or twice via voice-mail, almost inserted in post-production because the filmmakers realized they needed some laughs or some humor. Yet, it wasn't enough.
Halle Bailey (The Color Purple and The Little Mermaid) stars as Brianna Celeste Montgomery, aka "Anna." She works in New York City. She's an aspiring chef. She even attended culinary school. Things changed after her mother died. She became down on her luck. Yet, before dying, her mother got Anna a round-trip ticket to Italy, which Anna decides to use one day on a whim. Even though she doesn't have any money to stay there or afford a hotel for any extended period of time. She's basically winging it, as she attempts to sight-see the countryside.
It's funny because How Stella Got Her Groove Back had a Janet Jackson song on its soundtrack, "Luv Me, Luv Me," which was used in the film's trailer. The trailer to this film utilized Janet Jackson's "Escapade." It's funny because Bailey is very reminiscent of Janet Jackson, if one recalls her look and temperament from Poetic Justice (1993). Despite being a drama about a woman dealing with trauma, Poetic Justice had more humor or laughs than this film. Poetic Justice was also about a Black woman that goes on a trip, but that film's narrative had Regina King and Joe Torry along for the ride and both of them were giving consistent, comedic performances throughout. Even Tupac Shakur in that 1993 film felt like he was given more comedic or charming bits than the romantic lead here.
Regé-Jean Page (Bridgerton and For the People) co-stars as Michael, a British Black man who lives in Tuscany after being adopted by an Italian family. He also inherited a wine vineyard from his biological family that he has decided to run. He provides wine to his adopted family, as his adopted family owns and operates a restaurant in the piazza of a rural town. He lives a rather bucolic and pastoral existence. He's literally tall, dark and handsome. In fact, he's ridiculously sexy, which a shirtless sequence under a sprinkler proves, but luckily he's single, at the time of Anna's arrival. From the scenes he has with Anna, it's obvious they will end up together, and the film has no doubt or conflict in that regard.
There is some conflict. The conflict is one that is utilized in a lot of romantic comedies, if not a significant amount of rom-coms. It's almost cliché. The conflict is that one character has a secret and/or a lie that the character has to try to maintain. The conflict or tension is whether that secret or lie will be revealed or exposed because it would cause hurt or pain. Anna has the secret here and that secret could cause Michael and his adopted family to hate her or have her arrested for fraud as well as other crimes. Those create stakes, but it quickly becomes apparent that those stakes don't matter, as the tone here makes it clear that this film doesn't have that kind of edge.
Without that edge, the conflict that this film dangles feels hollow and contributes to the overall bubbly nature. I would compare it to a Hallmark Channel feature in its bubbliness, but Hallmark Channel features have more bite than this film. What also adds to the lack of conflict is the lack of personality for Michael. Later, Michael is accused of being this perfect person who doesn't do anything wrong or make any mistakes. In one scene, he explains that he's currently single because he hasn't met the right person, avoiding any kind of examination of what he might have done that caused his previous relationships to fail.
Because he's so perfect, because he has no edge, there is no conflict with him. His introduction presents a potential conflict, but even that is quickly washed away. He has no flaws. In Poetic Justice, Shakur's character is a single dad who hides that fact. He also considers Janet Jackson's character as stuck-up or bougie. In How Stella Got Her Groove Back, there's a significant age-gap. Here, there's nothing. Yes, Regé-Jean Page is gorgeous, but his character is bland.
One could argue that the narrative is more about Anna overcoming the loss of her mom and re-discovering her passion for cooking. That's fine, but the narrative in that regard is also rather bland. She just happens to meet Michael whose adopted family owns a restaurant and just happens to be in need of a cook. It's oh so coincidental. It's a rom-com, so coincidences are often the name of the game, but it all feels too easy, again no conflict and no struggle. Anna lucks out and slides through all of it with so little resistance she might as well be moving through the vacuum of outer space.
Returning to the sidelining of Aziza Scott, the filmmaker would likely argue that there are consistent, comedic characters. The filmmakers would likely argue those characters are Michael's adopted family. It's ironic that Nia Vardalos is in this film because Michael's adopted family feels very much like the family in Vardalos' My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). Each family member is quirky. Stella Pecollo who plays Francesca, Michael's cousin, is the scene stealer, and she could potentially fill the gap that Aziza Scott should have filled. Marco Calvani (The Four Seasons) plays Lorenzo, a taxi driver in Italy who befriends Anna. He also tries to fill the comedy dearth. Yet, Calvani is peppered in small doses that aren't enough.
Rated PG-13 for some strong language and sexual material.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 44 mins.
In theaters.