Love At First Sight (2023)
Ah, Netflix, how you toy with us. Love At First Sight is a two-hour meet-cute that is surprisingly enjoyable in a confectionary sort of way. Completely implausible? Yep. Completely watchable? Yep. Completely forgettable? The jury’s still out on that one.
It’s December 20th, and Hadley is on her way to London for her dad’s wedding. He teaches poetry at Oxford and she hasn’t seen him in a year, but she’s all set to be a bridesmaid for her new stepmom. Unfortunately, Hadley misses her flight by four minutes and finds herself face to face with Oliver, a Yaley who’s on his way back to London to see his dying mother. He doesn’t tell her all that, though, because TMI, but like a gentleman he invites Hadley to dinner while they wait for the next flight, and they bond over a hoagie and salad, respectively.
Hadley and Oliver are complete opposites. She’s disorganized and her phone is constantly on low-battery; he’s methodical and keeps his phone charged at all times. We know this because the narrator tells us. Oh yes, this nameless woman shows up in various random places all over the movie in various guises—she’s a flight attendant, a fellow passenger, a rando on the street, a bus driver. We never know where she’ll turn up, but seen or unseen she always has something to say, and her delivery style brings to mind a certain famous Guide whose cover says, “Don’t Panic” in large, friendly letters.
The thing about this movie is that when the two leads think their time together is over, something happens that brings them back together, either because they make the opportunity or chance takes the lead. Hadley might have a seat in business class and Oliver in economy, but lo and behold his seatbelt doesn’t work and he’s moved to the one other empty spot on the plane…right next to Hadley. Shocker. Hadley leaves her backpack behind at Oliver’s mother’s living memorial, and naturally he has to run to Hadley’s dad’s wedding reception to return it to her. Will he find her in the throng of strangers or happen to see her as she broods on a balcony? Who knows.
It’s both a strength and a weakness for the story because after a round or two of these characters having regret about missed opportunity and rushing to be together, because, let’s face it, each other’s whereabouts are fairly spelled out at all times, the mad dash trope loses its resonance. Meanwhile, they’re not doing too much of what we hope to see in a good rom-com, and that’s banter, plus there needs to be tension somewhere and there really isn’t.
What a shame, too, because we do get to know these characters a little and it’s kind of fun having the nameless narrator comment on scenes like a Douglas Adams protege. The acting isn’t bad—these people are unfailingly likeable, even Oliver’s brother, who shows up to Mom’s Shakespeare-themed living memorial dressed as a post-enchantment Nick Bottom. Well, he’s got the ears, anyway.
However, the danger with rom-coms, or love-stories of any kind, is that romance itself has been a rather threadbare trope for centuries, so much so that each generation has commented on its commonality in some way, one sorta-recent example being the Gershwins’ 1930 tune, “Blah Blah Blah,” about the fatal banality of Hollywood love songs.
We’re supposed to want Hadley and Oliver to be together, and we very likely do, but the movie doesn’t make us earn it and predictably keeps piling on trope after trope. As enjoyable as it is, it all feels a bit blah in the end.
Love At First Sight is currently streaming on Netflix. Rated PG-13.
My grade: B-
Principal Cast: Haley Lu Richardson, Ben Hardy, Rob Delaney, Katrina Nare, Jameela Jamil, Tom Taylor, Dexter Fletcher, Sally Phillips, Vivian Gwaspari, Jordan Frazier, Tracy Wiles, Philip Bird, Ibinabo Jack, Jessica Ransom, Dona Croll, Leigh Quinn, Stephan Boyce, Kerry Howard.
Directed by Vanessa Caswill.
Written by Katie Lovejoy and Jennifer E. Smith (novel).