- Sensibility: Some odd back and forths about love, a very close relationship with an ex, and a character breaking resignation are the only parts of this story that create issues.
- Cinematography: Production design and costuming are excellent and critical to the film, but there are mistakes, particularly Lucy's disguise. Framing is quite good, with a lot of memorable, thought-provoking, and emotion evoking shots. However, I think some shots are let down by rather bland or poor lighting choices.
- Energy: Excellent on-screen chemistry from the actors and a particularly great performance from Dakota Johnson keeps this film moving. Only issue is the ending feels a bit over-extended.
- Narrative: Great rom-com with a classic feel but a modern flavor. It's full of strong dialogue and avoids a lot of the clichés that plague the genre. The film tries to hard to blend fairy-tale romance with the harsh realities of the modern world; it finds some success
in this arena around the match-making job, but misses the mark regarding Dakota Johnson's character, Lucy.
The end has a scene that is a bit out of place, feels tacked on unnecessarily, and makes for a confusing character change for Lucy. Additionally, there's perhaps a bit too much repetition over John's roommate situation, one of the few tropes the film leans into.
- T-Points: The film received three bonus points: one for a great scene between Lucy and Harry in a kitchenette, one for some subtlety in Pedro Pascal's and Dakota Johnson's performances, and one for great scene with a final offer in front of a bush.
It's rare to find a romantic comedy with so few issues. Celine Song has delivered another excellent film, albeit of a very different tone than Past Lives. It's not perfect, but I think it holds its own
against many of the cult favorite rom-coms.
Number of Watches: 2
