All-Time High review: Strikes the perfect balance between action and comedy

In All-Time High, a con artist plans to exploit a woman with a crypto fortune. Ultimately, he ends up falling for her. The movie is now streaming on Netflix.

Story

Youssef Bouahzizi is a con artist but loves his girlfriend, Yael, immensely. Even his girlfriend doesn’t know his real name, his heritage, what he does for a living, or that he is bald.

Youssef wants this relationship to work. Hence, he goes above and beyond to arrange an expensive bag that Yael wants to gift her mother on her birthday. Luck is not in Youssef’s favor, as he loses money while trying to con his way out and grab that bag.

Eventually, he tells his girlfriend the truth. While she leaves him, Youssef crosses paths with Stéphanie, a woman who beat him at gambling while he tried to earn back money for the bag Yael wanted to gift her mother.

Stéphanie is a future millionaire because of the cryptocurrency she has in her possession. Youssef lies to Stéphanie and starts dating her, unaware that she is also keeping a few secrets of her own.

Performances

Nassim Lyes, as Youssef, shines as a goofy yet deep character who is trying to make things right with his girlfriend. Nassim Lyes embraces the one good quality that the character of Youssef has, which is being funny. All his jokes land.

Zoé Marchal, who plays Stéphanie, stands out as a headstrong woman who is quite mysterious. Marchal’s performance further asks viewers to constantly understand the character and her decisions.

All in all, Lyes and Marchal are playing two opposite yet flawed characters who can go well hand-in-hand, and they manage to make their love story successful with the right chemistry.

Positives

All-Time High moves away from the conventional love story that primarily takes place in rom-coms. The lead characters are not desirable at all, yet viewers will root for them once they get to know them better.

The film balances the elements of romance, comedy, and action well. While some hilarious slapstick comedy scenes will tickle viewers, action will be something that will surprise them.

The film also has some aptly captured one-shot scenes. Mostly, the action is well captured here. Even the choreography keeps viewers hooked, and somehow it fits well into this rom-com.

All-Time High also has characters behaving completely irrationally at times to crack a laugh. The film manages not to be cheesy and makes this work.

Negatives

At first, All-Time High struggles to establish characters properly, especially Youssef. It’s hard to figure out what kind of con he is pulling off and what his goals are. One only understands what he is up to when he explains how he functions. Hence, the opening scenes entertain less and confuse more.

Verdict

All-Time High is a goofy and hilarious rom-com that is unlike other movies in this genre. With flawed characters, great chemistry between the lead actors, and surprising action balanced with the comedy, it’s a treat for those looking for a light-hearted watch.

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Also Read: All-Time High summary and ending explained