Desperate Natasha Kingsley (Yara Shahidi) is facing deportation to Jamaica with her family by the next day. Reluctant Daniel Jae Ho Bae (Charles Melton) is facing college for his Korean immigrant parents. He notices her staring at the ceiling of Grand Central Terminal and he falls in love. The problem is that she doesn't believe in love. He saves her life and bets that he could make her fall in love with him.
A ticking clock is often required for a thriller. It is sometimes useful for other genres. I compare this to Before Sunrise where the ticking clock is the next train. This ticking clock is deportation and that's a little too dire. It overshadows the love story. The deportation is so dangerous that the love story becomes a minor aspect in its own story. It needs to relax some of the tension by moving the deportation date. Otherwise, there is a very good Before Sunrise romance against the backdrop of the wonderful New York City streetscape. The two leads are beautiful, charismatic, and wonderfully cross-cultural. It is modern and New York City. Even with the cheesy life-saving premise, the romance is a real winner. The ticking clock does tick too loudly. If I was getting deported, I would simply wait at that office until the lawyer comes back. I would show up at 11am and wait all day. There is no time or head space to fall in love. Also, one would expect Daniel to propose marriage even if she rejects him. I kept waiting for the citizenship marriage argument and dig deep into its legality. The story needs to push back the date to the moment Natasha reads the deportation letter and give them thirty days. That way, she could have a confrontation with her parents and discovering for the first time that she's not actually a citizen. Those are good emotional scenes that this movie missed. Otherwise, this is a great love letter to romance, cross culture, and New York City.
A ticking clock is often required for a thriller. It is sometimes useful for other genres. I compare this to Before Sunrise where the ticking clock is the next train. This ticking clock is deportation and that's a little too dire. It overshadows the love story. The deportation is so dangerous that the love story becomes a minor aspect in its own story. It needs to relax some of the tension by moving the deportation date. Otherwise, there is a very good Before Sunrise romance against the backdrop of the wonderful New York City streetscape. The two leads are beautiful, charismatic, and wonderfully cross-cultural. It is modern and New York City. Even with the cheesy life-saving premise, the romance is a real winner. The ticking clock does tick too loudly. If I was getting deported, I would simply wait at that office until the lawyer comes back. I would show up at 11am and wait all day. There is no time or head space to fall in love. Also, one would expect Daniel to propose marriage even if she rejects him. I kept waiting for the citizenship marriage argument and dig deep into its legality. The story needs to push back the date to the moment Natasha reads the deportation letter and give them thirty days. That way, she could have a confrontation with her parents and discovering for the first time that she's not actually a citizen. Those are good emotional scenes that this movie missed. Otherwise, this is a great love letter to romance, cross culture, and New York City.