Some love stories are for the ages. The Netflix adaptation of Tembi Locke’s memoir “From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home” took.us on an emotional rollercoaster from the beginning.
Author Tembi Locke wrote and produced the series with her sister Attica Locke (Little Fires Everywhere), who had pitched her book as a movie idea. With the sisters working together, they tried to keep the essence and the heart of the memoir intact.
Amy Wheeler takes time off from law school to pursue her dream of art in Florence. While she studies there, Amy meets Sicilian chef Lino. They fall in love as their paths keep crossing.
While Amy (Zoe Saldano) and Lino (Eugenio Masteandrea) had sizzling chemistry, developing them in the series premiere took too much time. We didn’t need to devote half an episode to rich boy Giancarlo.
He was no more than a footnote in their adventure. Amy and Lino needed more depth and development.
The Locke sisters take romantic cliches of bumping into each other and elevate them with their senses.
There were scenes where you felt you were in Florence, eating authentic cuisine or exploring the markets. The scenery and food were one of my favorite parts.
Each episode was titled a different type of food and described one of their food or traveling journeys. The tone shifted as they evolved from a dating couple to dealing with multicultural differences in their families to Lino’s health issues.
It always came back to their love of food. Both Italians and African-Americans love food and celebrations, and both good food and family can heal almost anything.
There are some excellent performances in the ensemble cast. While Zaldana and Masteandrea shine, so do the actors that play their families.
Masteandrea exudes such competence that you wonder if he was an actual chef. He exacted such precision in his technique in the kitchen.
Saldana’s performance in “Just Scratch” dramatically differs from her sci-fi and superhero movies. She evoked more emotion and exhibited an intense journey as Amy found her true calling as an artist, a wife, and a mother.
Keith David (Greenleaf) and Judith Scott (All American) exhibited charm and warmth, and protectiveness of Amy, but they accepted Lino as part of their extensive Texan family.
The bond between Zoe Saldana’s Amy and Danielle Deadwyler’s Zora felt real. These two could fight over petty issues but show up when it really matters. They encouraged each other and fought for each other in their dreams and losses.
The series shines when the families interact. Tembi and Attica Locke excel at multicultural storytelling by showing how families meet and come together.
Beyond that, they explored how multicultural differences can strengthen a family or tear them apart.
From Scratch is a love story that honors where you came from. It’s about celebrating a couple and their families and learning to grow together.
Episodes five and six were highlights. Episode five was a lovely tribute to the family as both Amy’s and Lino’s families came together.
While in episode six, we continued that theme as Amy and Lino adopted their daughter.
The finale may make you cry, but it’s expected as we’ve grown attached to this family and grieved with them.
However, that’s the core message of this series –follow your dreams, love hard, and eat well.
While From Scratch was an inspiring story, it had some issues. I’m a massive fan of adapting books to a television series, so the story has more room to breathe. It breathed too much and was bloated in parts.
However, there was too much filler in each episode, where 10 minutes per episode could have been cut or two hours total. We didn’t need to see every time Amy and Lino bumped into each other in the premiere.
There were even some pivotal moments that were too much. It became depressing watching Lino’s dad repeatedly criticizing him for marrying an American. While it was traditional, the scenes felt repetitive.
This became a similar issue to Lino’s health issues. While they were a significant part of the storyline, some of the hospital scenes also felt depressing and repetitive.
From Scratch has been advertised as a cute rom-com. It’s more of a family drama with some romance inserted. Both Italians and African-Americans value family, traditions, and good food, and this series focuses on those three things.
Amy and Lino’s romance is a crucial part of it, but they must remember where they came from and pass that knowledge on. Traditions are something to be celebrated, and both families want to share theirs.
Some of the best parts of the series feature authentic cuisine, music, and beautiful scenery.
The writing includes moments that make life worth living no matter what, as long as you have friends and family by your side. It’s a celebration of life that inspires you to fulfill your dreams and appreciate those around you.
While From Scratch dragged in parts, it was an inspiring love story. Will you be watching?
From Scratch is streaming now on Netflix.
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Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
