The flick is labeled as a Rom-Com but I’d categorize it as a romance… or just a drama. Mainly because the “rom-com”ness of it is so hazily written that it could – and should have been – ejected from the movie completely.

The flick stars Lillie James as a British woman with a fully Westernized Pakistani-British friend who has decided to let his more transitional parents arrange his marriage. She’s baffled by the very idea and sees an opportunity for a documentary. So she films him and his family, even travelling with them to Pakistan to meet the bride.

The core problem with this otherwise decent movie is that there’s absolutely no romantic spark between the male and female lead. They have scenes together, but neither the acting nor the writing gave me the impression they were attracted to one another. I often was left wondering… is this meant to be romantic? Surely they’re just friends, right? So when Lillie James starts making suggestions he NOT go through with the marriage, it felt rude and disrespectful. If there had been a modicum of romantic tension or chemistry or even writing, it might have worked.

But, then again, Lillie James seems like an insert into the movie anyway. If she were not in the movie, it’d be a simple and interesting story about a man of Pakistani descent who decides to try an arranged marriage. Uncharitably, James is included for a white audience to have someone to identify with and drive ticket sales. More charitably, she’s a viewpoint who can be used to explain Pakistani customs to the audience.

The Pakistani story is far more interesting than the missing romance between the two leads. It’s an interesting enough story on its own that the whole documentary and rom-com plot could have – and should have been – ejected.

I’m giving this an average/ok score mainly because the attempts at romance (an I use “attempt” charitably) are such a bust… but there are moments that spark among the Pakistani cast. Without that black hole in the middle of the film, it’d probably have earned a better score. It’s a decent film if you can ignore its complete lack of anything – and I’m not just talking chemistry – between the two leads. Truly baffling.

Score: 76