Dir: Christian Ditter
The romantic comedy is a tricky beast. There are certain tropes that people expect but stick too closely to those expectations and the result is dull as the last four Kate Hudson films. Is there another direction to head in?
Rosie and Alex have been best friends since they were five, so they couldn’t possibly be right for one another...or could they? When it comes to love, life and making the right choices, these two are their own worst enemies. One awkward turn at eighteen, one missed opportunity...and life sends them hurtling in different directions. But somehow, across time, space and different continents, the tie that binds them cannot be undone – despite unwanted pregnancies, disastrous love affairs, marriage, infidelity and divorce. Will they find their way back to one another, or will it be too late? If the answer to that question seems unpredictable then you’ve come to the right movie.
Bad timing is the central theme here as this film, based on the best seller “Where Rainbows End” by Celia Ahern of “PS I Love You” fame. In this sense Love, Rosie is more a comedy of errors than a romantic comedy. And if truth be told, the ups and mostly downs the two protagonists take after their plan to move to the US to study goes awry means that this is more dramedy than anything. Occasionally veering towards soapiness (secret pregnancy!?), Love Rosie gets by with amiable performances from Lilly Collins as Rosie and Sam Claflin as Alex. The two are easy to watch, especially Collins. The challenge the film sets itself is to show the events of ten or so years and to do so in such a way that the emotional impact of each cuts through. At times there is superficiality but the director Ditter manages to emphasize the important (sometimes quite grown-up) beats of the story successfully.
For Love, Rosie, the destination may never be in doubt but the journey is sweetly funny, likeable and without cynicism: a date movie that will leave a grin on your face.