Love at First Sight is a Netflix rom-com with a trite title for such a lovely and charming film. As a rom-com skeptic, I was instantly suspicious. Two abnormally attractive people in a seemingly standard-issue rom-com that would surely lead to the usual third act misunderstanding breakup? Next!
But I was very wrong. And, trust me, I know that rating is disturbingly high. But that’s what’s in my head; that’s what’s in my heart.
The film IS about two abnormally attractive people who meet at an airport on their way to weddings in London. Given this is a rom-com and given she doesn’t even know her future step-mother, I assumed they would shortly discover their parents are marrying each other and then we’d have a borderline incestuous reveal and breakup. But no, this isn’t that kind of rom-com.
Instead, this is a sweet, effervescent, and believable film that avoids a lot of the eye-rolling clichés. It tells an emotionally mature story with both characters having separate smartly written subplots. They each get three dimensional emotional catharsis with their parents. I was moved by how earnest and well-written their stories were… especially the guy’s. It’s rare to have such a unique and honest approach to mortality and still come out the other side an aspirational rom-com.
The two leads have impeccable chemistry with a mix of sweet, funny, and honest dialog (plus a super charged moment before a bathroom door). She’s played by Haley Lu Richardson and he’s played by Ben Hardy. I know I’ve seen both of them before but I guess not this memorably.
Oh, and there’s a fun dance scene set to Video Killed the Radio Star that moved me to inexplicable tears. Yes, I know… The Buggles. Plus an extra helping of lovely cover songs peppered throughout.
About the only thing it does wrong is the narrator. She’s basically the magical Santa from half the silly Christmas rom-coms you’ve seen. She knows everything and appears randomly to goose the story forward. That said, she’s played by the impeccable Jameela Jamil (who played Tahani in The Good Place) so I’ll forgive the cliché because she’s some kind of amazing.
I shouldn’t have fallen for this film’s rom-com traps but I did… mainly because it avoids the more common ones. Yes the two leads are annoyingly cute and yes their dialog can be sickly sweet… but I cared. Cared for them together, cared for them apart. Lessons were learned and love blossomed. I kind of loved this one.
Score: 91