Love at First Sight Review: An Unoriginal, But Sincere Rom-Com Netflix Film
Cast: Haley Lu Richardson, Ben Hardy, Jameela Jamil, Dexter Fletcher
Director: Vanessa Caswill
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and a half stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Love at First Sight is a 2023 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Vanessa Caswill and starring Haley Lu Richardson and Ben Hardy. December 20th is the most difficult day in a difficult airport, JFK in New York, and arriving – moreover – four minutes late doesn’t help. Or maybe yes, because thanks to those four minutes, a boy and a girl will get to know each other. A romantic comedy about dates, data, and statistics. And while we’re talking statistics: there will be approximately a thousand two hundred thirty-four films that, by chance or not, look like this. There are many ways for a film to move the viewer. Some films seek tears at all costs and those that treat everything delicately, and if you cry it means that they have touched something inside you. Based on the popular novel of the same name by Jennifer E. Smith, Love at First Sight is a charming romantic comedy from the producers of the To My Heart I’ve Loved You franchise that belongs in the latter category, with merit.
The new Netflix film Love at First Sight, a title created by the same producers as All the Times I Wrote I Love You is ready to make everyone fall in love, even those who don’t like this particular genre of story. Because yes Netflix, as well as the film industry in general, seems to be doing everything to renew one of the most popular genres of all, the romantic comedy, and make it not only more modern but also more in line with the values of contemporary society. And suddenly we say goodbye to hyper-romantic stories where love was shown only in its blossoming, showing only the beauty of the beginnings and those butterflies in the stomach that seemed to be the only way to measure the validity of a feeling. No, now Netflix has decided to change course and talk about love to new and old generations, making them understand how hard, difficult, and challenging it is to make a relationship work.
Love at First Sight Review: The Story Plot
Hadley is a twenty-year-old American who has to go to London for her father’s second wedding but has not yet accepted the divorce between her parents. She is messy and lively; she loves literature and hates mayonnaise. Oliver is an English boy studying mathematics in the United States. He too has to go to London, but the reason is not clear. He is methodical, loves numbers, and hates mayonnaise. When Hadley misses her flight and meets Oliver, something immediately clicks. What are the chances that these two guys will fall in love? But above all, what are the chances that they will be able to see each other again?
Love at First Sight Review and Analysis
Love at First Sight leaves us with a message about the truth: you don’t need to measure everything with numbers and statistics if you don’t say something sincere. You will only be able to speak well if your tongue can convey the message of your heart…Oliver studies statistics, he believes that everything is regulated by big data and that sooner or later everything will be predictable, but the meeting with Hadley touches him in the deep; and the connection that is created between the two of them – temporary and full of pleasant jokes – is the reason to continue watching the feature film, which casts other spells in addition to the plane in a pink light: namely the character played by Sally Elizabeth Phillips, that is, of a mother who faces death serenely and playfully (giving us light moments and other more difficult ones that offer reflections). Even with the specter of cancer, it’s not a tearjerker, more of a lump in the throat at best, and always enjoyable whenever Richardson or Hardy duet on the small screen.
Their characters fall in love, get lost, fight, and make up in 24 hours, and yet they are realistic, even if – let’s face it – a little crazy. But isn’t that what a movie is for? Sometimes you just need to be enchanted by the images. This film, in addition to being a delightful, well-written, delicate, sweet, and hopeful romantic comedy, holds within itself a small nucleus that goes beyond the love story and, with touching and dramatic but never too many tones, investigates the meaning of life, relationships, mutual commitment, and care. Every day, many people meet and like each other. Sometimes they exchange contacts and continue their acquaintance, sometimes not. Sometimes it ends, sometimes it doesn’t.
What is the difference? The case, of course. Compatibility, circumstances. Millions of variables. The most important one, however, is controllable. It’s about will, commitment, faith, the desire to try and commit. In love, of course, but also in life. Completely overturning the topos according to which love is overwhelming and solves everything. In Love at First Sight, love is, yes, overwhelming, but it must be sought and wanted. And so, after a couple of slightly invasive sentences and a secondary but fundamental storyline, an almost Christmassy romantic comedy is transformed into a tender and sensitive film for sentimental hearts in the best sense of the term. The statistical probabilities of Love at First Sight, thus, become not only a love film, a perfect romantic film for those who love this genre but also an interesting, educational, exciting, and profound title in its being perfectly light and entertaining, as the genre requires.
The formula used to tell the beginning of a love at first sight between an American girl and an Englishman who by pure chance end up on the same plane to London is interesting and the desire to show two sides of the same coin by making the viewer reflect is very innovative. about how, sometimes, we have to let ourselves go to chance and how losing the moment, out of pride or fear, can be fatal and deprive us of what could become the love of our life. Let yourself be surprised by this romantic comedy, lose yourself in this sweet, very romantic but also realistic enough to be a plausible story. Love at First Sight is an adorable, enchanting, and romantic film to the right degree. If you are looking for something light but at the same time introspective, this film is the right choice for you, whether you are romantic or not. Although it does not shine for narrative originality, Love at First Sight always manages to put its strengths in the foreground and not allow itself to be excessively overwhelmed by the obviousness of rom-coms seen and reviewed.
For example, a mysterious figure who interfaces directly with us spectators and acts as a witness to the birth of the love story between Hadley and Oliver manages to win us over with sympathy rather than being redundant and inefficient. It is also a film about the speed of today which, not surprisingly, selects the airplane as the environment in which to give birth to a love story, and opts for a quick editing that conveys the pace at which these two boys travel, suspended between commitments essentials and the desire to delay everything to get to know each other better. Her sincere writing as much as the characters that bring her to life elevates Love at First Sight compared to other similar stories that the platform welcomes. We are not on the side of a memorable story but, in an era in which the demand for adaptations of successful romances is skyrocketing, we feel like calling this new addition to Netflix a successful experiment.
Love at First Sight Review: The Last Words
Despite all its production flaws, the lack of originality of the story, and the limited timeline, through Phillips ‘ character he suggests remaining “light” to face even the hardest periods and manages first and foremost to express an overwhelming romanticism with two actors who take on all the charisma. Love at First Sight is therefore a film that we recommend watching if you are passionate about this genre and are a Netflix subscriber. This film, in addition to being a delightful, well-written, delicate, sweet, and hopeful romantic comedy, holds within itself a small nucleus that goes beyond the love story and, with touching and dramatic but never too many tones, investigates the meaning of life, relationships, mutual commitment, and care.
Love at First Sight Review: An Unoriginal, But Sincere Rom-Com Netflix Film - Filmyhype
Director: Vanessa Caswill
Date Created: 2023-09-15 11:50
3.5
Pros
- Charming and heartwarming tone
- Likable cast, especially Richardson and Hardy
- Good chemistry between the two leads
- Some funny and memorable moments
Cons
- Predictable plot
- Lack of originality
- Some clichés and tropes
- Ending is a bit rushed
