This was a very cute, sweet movie with a lot of heart. Was it a perfect movie. No. It was probably the same level as an average Hallmark rom-com, with slightly lower production standards, but it seemed a little less formulaic, and there was a lot more life and energy to it, somehow.
I thought the performances were good, particularly from Brandon W. Jones as Matt, the titular hopeless romantic. The whole idea that there is a guy who is addicted to rom-coms and uses them as a template for his love life is a bit far-fetched, but Brandon makes it believable. He brings such a wide-eyed, innocent, puppy-dog sweetness to the role that you can't help but like him and root for him to get the love he so earnestly desires. Guys aren't typically supposed to be romantic, at least in the movies, but in real life, they can be as romantic and in love with the idea of being in love as girls can. Christa B. Allen as Liz, his buddy and eventual love interest, was great, too. She was likable and seemed very down-to-earth and practical, but when she needed to be emotional and vulnerable, she came through. I wish they given her a chance to show even more emotion as she realized she had feelings for Matt, even as he seemed to be going back to his old girlfriend Alexis. It's implied, but maybe a few tears or something would have made it even more obvious.
Of course, we know pretty much from the get-go that Matt and Liz will eventually wind up together. They had a lot of chemistry, while there was so little chemistry between Matt and his ex-girlfriend Alexis that you wonder why he was even interested in going back to her. I really liked the scene toward the end where Matt was unable to say one reason why he wanted to be with Alexis, but rattled off a whole list of detailed reasons why he loved Liz. It was very reminiscent of the scene at the end of "When Harry Met Sally". One thing I wish they had done was have our rom-com-following hero Matt realize that his life was imitating one of the most tried and true rom -com tropes of all, namely, the character realizing at the end of the movie that they have been in love with their best friend the whole time.
As far as the script goes, the relationship between Matt and Liz was handled well and their interactions and dialog were pretty natural and believable, other than him blurting out that he loved her at the end. Just a little too much, too soon. The writing for the sub-romances of his friend Adam and co-worker Eddie were a little more rough and unpolished. Also, the subplot about saving the video store was really a stretch. The video store is truly a dinosaur and no amount of slick marketing would be able to save one in real life. These are minor annoyances, though. I felt that the main plot of the romance between Matt and Liz was pretty solid.
All in all, an enjoyable movie. Any true lover of rom-coms will find it fun and charming and will overlook its few rough edges.
0 out of 0 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
