Like a big ol' plate of pasta smothered in Parmesan cheese and paired with a generous helping of wine, "You, Me & Tuscany" is hearty and comforting, if not entirely guilt-free. You probably shouldn't eat it for every meal, but every once in a while, it's OK to indulge.

Director Kat Coiro follows the romantic comedy formula to a T and makes no apologies for her strict adherence to convention. But leaning into the structure and predictability of the form, she fashions an enjoyable, crowd-pleasing, feel-good romantic comedy that is as refreshing as an Aperol spritz enjoyed under the Tuscan sun.

Halle Bailey, Ariel in 2023's live-action "Little Mermaid" remake, is Anna, a down-and-out culinary school dropout who's bumming around New York after the death of her mother.

At a hotel bar she meets Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor), a handsome Italian. After they spend the night together (but nothing happens between them!), he more or less invites her to visit his Italian villa — more because it's a casual mention over drinks, less because she tracks down his address and invites herself into his home while he's away traveling on business. But what's a rom-com without some inciting shenanigans?

While there, she bumps into Matteo's mother and grandmother, and kinda sorta lies to them that she and Matteo are engaged to be married. While all of this could be cleared up with a simple phone call, she's instead welcomed into his family, and a giant game of charades begins. Mamma mia!

Among the family members she's introduced to is Michael ("Bridgerton's" Regé-Jean Page), Matteo's brother-cousin — that's how he's described, just go with it — and Anna and Michael begin to fall for one another. But then Matteo shows up, throws a wrench into things, and Anna's Italian vacation becomes, well, a slightly more hectic but still pretty enjoyable Italian vacation.

Director Coiro (2022's J. Lo-Owen Wilson rom-com "Marry Me") and screenwriter Ryan Engle ("Rampage") are smart enough to embrace rom-com clichés without winking at them or remarking on them from an ironic perch. There's a wholesome, almost Hallmark way "You, Me & Tuscany" unspools, acting as pure fantasy and wish fulfillment, untethered to reality. It's a way to visit Italy, fall in love and have a few laughs for the price of a movie ticket.

The cast is mostly stock characters, with several outrageous side characters helping out in the comic relief department. Marco Calvani gets laughs as Anna's frequent cab driver, Marco; Stella Pecollo is a scene stealer as Matteo's spicy aunt; and Aziza Scott is hilarious as Anna's friend as Claire, Anna's friend back home, who tries to be the voice of reason in the situation.

Bailey — impeccably styled in Massimo Cantini Parrini's costumes — has a wholesome, easy-breezy charm, and good-enough chemistry with Page. They never quite ignite the screen but they carry viewers along for the journey, as "You, Me & Tuscany" sends viewers exactly where they're expecting to go.

In real life, vacations are hard; they take money and scheduling and even after all that, the odds are they're not going to go quite the way you planned. "You, Me & Tuscany" is safe and predictable in all the right ways, and it's what you want out of a vacation minus all the messy stuff. Pass the pasta.

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'YOU, ME & TUSCANY'

Grade: B

MPA rating: PG-13 (for some strong language, and sexual material)

Running time: 1:44

How to watch: In theaters April 10

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