Review by James Lindorf
Writer and Director Joan Carr-Wiggin’s “Getting to Know You” starts simply with a request. When pressured to rekindle an old romance by a married but determined ex, Luke (Rupert Penry Jones, “Black Sails”) asks fellow hotel guest Abby (Natasha Little “The Night Manager”) if she will pretend to be his wife. In town for her estranged brother’s funeral, Abby decides that helping Luke could be a nice distraction in this charming and occasionally absurd romcom. Gravitas Ventures will release “Getting to Know You” on all major VOD and cable/satellite streaming platforms Tuesday, November 24th.
The chemistry between Jones and Little is fantastic and enrapturing every time they are on screen together. Like most romantic comedies, there is a bit too much formula to “Getting to Know You”. The meet-cute occurs at the hotel’s front desk while the pair waits to check-in while the attendant is loudly having sex in her office. There is the instant connection; the will they/won’t they, and finally, the decision to throw caution to the wind and be together or return to their old lives. There really are only two options for a romantic film either they are together when credits roll, or they aren’t; the joy is in the journey. Carr-Wiggin makes sure the audience has a pleasant trip.
The only thing that threatens to derail the good time is the supporting characters. While Luke and Abby are rich, complicated, and well-rounded characters, everyone surrounding them borders on caricatures. They have one element to their personality, and instead of adding variance, they were cranked to 11. Everyone knows or has encountered people like this. They are not out of the scope of reality; it is just highly unlikely that everyone you run into will be that way. Luckily, they all have relatively limited screen time, leaving most of the 103-minute run time to the dance between Luke and Abby just the way it should be. No matter how you feel about their decision, you’re likely to be disappointed that your ride with these characters is over.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Joan Carr-Wiggin
Producer: David Gordian, Alan Latham
Writer: Joan Carr-Wiggin
Release Date (Streaming): November 24th, 2020
Runtime: 1h 43m
Production Co: Paragraph Pictures, Premiere Picture
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