Love at First Sight is a romantic comedy that narrates the tale of two people who meet at the airport and fall in love during their flight from New York to London. However, they lose sight of each other after landing, and the strings of fate weave something special to bring them together.
It is an adaptation of the 2013 novel, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by author Jennifer E. Smith and is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Love at First Sight takes you to New York, where Hadley Sullivan (Haley Lu Richardson) misses her flight to London by four minutes. She books the next one scheduled 90 minutes later and runs into a young British man named Oliver Jones (Ben Hardy).
The two hit it off immediately and grab a meal together. Hadley is shown to be someone who is usually late and never has a charged battery in her phone. On the contrary, Oliver is a student at Yale who doesn’t like surprises and functions mostly on statistics and probability.
During the flight, their spark starts turning into love, and they share many personal details but forget to exchange contact information. They almost kiss at one point but are interrupted by another passenger.
After landing at Heathrow, Oliver types his number on Hadley’s phone before they are separated at customs, but her phone dies before she can save it. Now, the two are desperate to find each other, and fate plays its hand.
Performances
It is a Haley Lu Richardson, and Ben Hardy show throughout. Their interactions are what makes the film so endearing, and it is wholesome to see them find each other while dealing with their respective problems.
Their chemistry is top-notch, and their performances are stellar. They make you feel every emotion in the book and never force a scene. The two play one of the most relatable couples seen on screen.
Another important character in the film is the narrator, played by Jameela Jamil. She keeps the audience updated on various aspects that the narrative doesn’t explicitly cover and shows up as multiple people in the story, nudging the two protagonists towards each other.
Rob Delaney, Dexter Fletcher, Katrina Nare, Sally Phillips, and Tom Taylor play supporting characters and have small yet impactful roles. Despite less screen time, all these actors add to the narrative that is wonderfully crafted.
Positives
Love at First Sight is one of the nicest romantic comedies that Netflix has released. It’s realistic enough to feel relatable and still manages to emphasize the role of fate in love.
The use of Jamil’s character as sort of a guardian angel for the two leads is a nice touch. She pops up in the most unpredictable circumstances as various people and subtly guides them. Also, the living memorial service idea is a genius one.
It also isn’t cheesy and doesn’t explicitly advocate toxic love. The film focuses on the protagonists’ life problems and showcases how they bond over them. The narrative is more about fate than love.
Furthermore, Love at First Sight is written well. The narration provides you with statistics and adds a layer of immersion. You get just the right amount of character backstory and the utilization of supporting characters to drive home important points works well.
It nicely touches upon themes of forgiveness, moving on, acceptance, death, love, and fate without ever becoming preachy. Lastly, the song choices are fantastic and will make you feel all the emotions as the film progresses.
Negatives
As with all romantic comedies, there is no element of surprise when it comes to the climax.
The premise is slightly faulty. Two strangers who connect so well and don’t even ask each others’ last names or exchange Instagram handles over a six-hour flight is a bit far-fetched.
It is obvious that certain cinematic liberties have been taken but they could have been better ways used to set up the story.
Verdict
Love at First Sight is a perfect addition to your list if romance is your cup of tea. It has relatable characters, a well-crafted plot, and is a breath of fresh air within the genre as it doesn’t rely on concepts of obsessive love. Furthermore, it is sure to make you tear up in places.
Love at First Sight
Director: Vanessa Caswill
Date Created: 2023-09-16 18:12
3.5