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Greetings again from the darkness. There is no reason for me to write much about this one. I’m clearly not part of the target audience, and if I had realized ahead of time that writer-director Susannah Grant was also responsible for CATCH AND RELEASE (2006), I likely would have passed on the opportunity to review. There is a market for romantic fantasy movies, however, typically at least some of the characters are likable. Regardless, my job is not to become angry at a film (even if it happens sometimes).
Laura Dern won her Oscar for MARRIAGE STORY (2019) and here she plays respected novelist Katherine Lowe. Although she may be respected and successful, Katherine is also dealing with a messy personal life and a fast-approaching deadline for her next book. Oh, she’s stressed alright. So how does a novelist who thrives in a quiet environment find the solitude she needs to write? Well, she heads to a resort in Morocco where her trip coincides with a writer’s conference made up of attendees who all know her work.
One of the writers attending the conference is Lily (Diana Silvers, MA, 2019) who has dragged along her hunky boyfriend Owen (Liam Hemsworth, “The Hunger Games” franchise) who is diligently working on his first big financing deal … all via cell phone from an area with spotty reception. He really doesn’t much care for her circle of writers, and she is constantly annoyed with his frequent business calls. Have you figured out where this is headed? Lily is ambitious about establishing herself after her first novel, and Owen expends little energy in supporting her in a world he doesn’t understand and has little interest in.
Lily and Owen argue, while Owen and Katherine get to know each other. Of course, you know what happens to these two relationships, and though Ms. Grant tosses in a bit of a twist in the final act, no one will be surprised at the finale. Perhaps the world needs a bit more mindless romantic fantasy these days, but we’d prefer one with characters we can root for. Is there really a big enough audience of viewers who wish to only invest surface level interest in what attracts two people to each other while ignoring their lack of character? On the bright side, Ms. Grant does follow the writing advice of one of her characters: when stuck or blocked, interject sex or death (although this is relayed much more descriptively in the movie).
Opens on Netflix on October 11, 2024
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