I love romantic movies. I love them even more when they can do something new or fresh. For the Netflix romance Love at First Sight, the story takes a familiar concept and features two lovable leads.
Hadley and Oliver begin to fall in love on their flight from New York to London, but accidentally lose each other at customs. The probability of ever finding one another again seems impossible, but fate may have a way of defying the odds. Like most romantic movies, this is a very easy watch.
Hayley Lou Richardson and Ben Hardy star as Hadley and Oliver, respectively. They're both traveling to London, and through a series of fortunate events, they end up spending the entire flight together, only then to be completely separated at customs. The rest of the movie is them each navigating the reasons they came to London, along with trying to find each other.
Jameela Jamil, who you may recognize as Titania in She-Hulk, she plays the narrator of this story. But what I really appreciated and grew to love is that she's not just a bodiless voice, but instead she shows up throughout the film as sort of a slight guiding angel to the duo, providing small helps or knowing the sides that usually help them and amuse us. The entire movie is very cute, and while it's not really a comedy, there are funny and humorous moments that add my smiling throughout.
And it also helps that Richardson and Hardy, they're great together. I mean, they portray a likable and believable pairing. Two people that you can see hitting it off thanks to their quirks, and then they become two that you root for to be together.
The movie is the perfect link at 90 minutes, and the narrative does move us through this story very efficiently. Yeah, I mean, the film could be longer with more time with each of the characters, but this is supposed to be prologue to what could be a relationship. We're just witnessing the start of something.
That brief glimpse when, you know, when a relationship is at its very start. So that also means that there isn't a ton of drama to be had because they don't really know each other very well. There is enough, though, in the story to provide some tension between the two when it's necessary, even if it's minor.
I really love how the relationships are examined throughout the story. Hadley and Oliver are each in London for a specific reason, but they're vastly different in one sense and then completely identical in another. This parallel makes their journeys touching and heartfelt, but also with smiles and even tearful moments.
And then when their themes don't mirror each other, we're still being shown powerful relationship dynamics that are relatable and poignant. Love at First Sight is actually way more enjoyable and captivating than I imagined it would be. I was hoping for a cute story, and it delivers that plus so much more in terms of quality characters.
And a story that's, while familiar, is also presented in a unique and fresh way. And there's nothing exceptional or terrible about the cinematography. We get to see the appropriate reactions and body language of the characters, while also being shown the beauty of their surroundings.
And the soundtrack works to complement the mood, whether that be joyous or melancholy. And then the side characters, they all fit within the story without becoming distracting, but they also feel necessary for key character moments. I love the growth that we watch in both Hadley and Oliver.
Each has a different way that they need to experience growth, and while it could be a bit rushed for the sake of the story, it doesn't feel implausible. This is a feel-good movie all the way around, held together by two magnetic leads who convincingly showcase a budding romance. The story is then complemented by a sweet and fresh presentation, using what could be a boring trope of a narration to then enhance the storytelling, to bring about good humored snark and light comedy.
My rating on this movie would be nine out of ten. So do yourself a favor and give this one a watch, especially if you're looking for something that can just brighten your mood, or if you simply are just looking for some love stories.
