Why the Fate of Coco Jones’ New Movie “That’s Her” Rests on a Completely Different Rom-Com
Recently, filmmaker Nina Lee took to social media to drop a hard truth about her upcoming film, That’s Her, starring Coco Jones, Kountry Wayne, Loretta Devine, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Tabitha Brown, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Patricia “Ms. Pat” Williams, and Bovi. According to Lee’s viral tweets, the release of her highly anticipated movie is riding entirely on the success of a completely separate project: the new rom-com You, Me & Tuscany.
That’s Her follows a corporate-climbing playboy (Wayne) who finds himself caught in a complicated romantic dilemma between two very different women. He falls for both a charming, girl-next-door office temp (Jones) and a high-powered executive (Raver-Lampman). Ultimately, his personal relationships and ambitions collide, forcing him to choose between true love and advancing his career. The film also digs deeper to explore how our parents’ relationships shape the way we approach dating today.
It sounds wild that one movie’s fate is tied to another’s, but Lee’s transparency peeled back the curtain on how studio decision-making actually works.
When executives are deciding whether to push, fund, or distribute a project, they heavily rely on “comps,” comparable films with similar demographics, budgets, or genres. In this case, if You, Me & Tuscany performs well, it proves to the powers-that-be that there is a hungry, paying audience for Black-led romantic comedies.
If it underperforms, however, projects sitting in the wings like That’s Her could be deemed “too risky” and risk getting shelved entirely.
The conversation got even louder when blockbuster producer Will Packer, producer of You, Me & Tuscany, weighed in on Lee’s viral thread. Packer, who has practically written the blueprint for turning Black-led comedies into box office gold with hits like Girls Trip and Think Like a Man, validated Lee’s frustrations.
He shared that while it might feel unfair for one film to carry the weight of an entire subgenre’s future, this is the current reality of the entertainment industry. In Hollywood, audiences vote with their wallets and their streaming numbers.
Audiences frequently advocate for more original stories, more lighthearted romance, and more leading roles for rising Black talent. But the industry only listens to metrics.
The assignment is clear: you need to show up and support You, Me & Tuscany.
