Month: September 2025

All Of You

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In a near futuristic world, Simon (Brett Goldstein) and Laura (Imogen Poots) have been best friends since university. Simon is clearly in love with Laura though no line has ever been crossed. His hopes are dashed when she decides to take The Test to find out who her soulmate is. She’s matched with Lukas (Steven Cree) and the two get married and have a daughter. But when Laura discovers Simon’s true feelings for her, she is forced to make a choice.

Having penned this with director William Bridges, Brett Goldstein is branching out from his Ted Lasso days. This science fiction romantic drama had all the ingredients for a home run and I had been really looking forward to it. While there were some positive aspects, I have to admit that there was something about it that didn’t quite work for me.

Where the film excelled was certainly in its casting. Goldstein and Poots were perfect as Simon and Laura. They had such an easy yet organic chemistry; I bought the fact that they had known each other for years and this only intensified when they became romantic with one another. I thought it was smart to focus on different moments in their lives instead of following every single moment. It did mean that I had to fill in some of the blanks on the way, but I liked that.

Unfortunately I felt like the pacing was off. It started slowly and although I appreciated setting the groundwork, I didn’t think it needed to take so long. I also wasn’t a fan of the whole cheating thing. I know that the film is about so much more than that, but it was something that kept niggling away at me. Though I understood why Laura struggled, but after seeing it over and over, I just wanted a different outcome.

Overall, I really wanted to love All Of You, but something was missing. The acting was superb and the sweeping romance between the leads did keep me invested for the most part at least. Unfortunately it’s not the first time we’ve plot device and the eventual pay off was not at all satisfying.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

Swiped

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Swiped tells the story of Whitney Wolfe Herd (Lily James) who, at the age of twenty two, co-founded Tinder. Being the brains behind the famous app, she never got the credit she deserved. Not being able to trust her partner Sean Rad (Ben Schnetzer) and finding herself in a toxic relationship with Justin Mateen (Jackson White), she eventually had no choice but to leave the company. When she meets Andrey Andreev (Dan Stevens) a few years later, he convinces her to start a new app by the name of Bumble.

As someone who has used both apps in the past, I found the film to be very interesting. I didn’t know about their origins and so there was a lot to learn. I thought it would be your average run of the mill biopic that we have seen so many times before. I didn’t realize that there would be a whole other side to the story that inevitably helped elevate it for me.

I have always liked James as an actor and thought that she did a fabulous job as our protagonist. The fact that the real Whitney Wolfe Herd was not involved in the project due to her Tinder NDA meant that James had to dig deeper to sell her performance. Despite how much she went through in her personal relationship as well as trying to make her voice heard in an otherwise male dominant industry, she still preserved. Schnetzer and White were perfect as the stereotypical tech guys. I don’t want to say White has been typecasted as the resident douche, but with this and his character on Tell Me Lies, he really has it down pat. While Stevens wasn’t as prominent as he could have been, I felt like he served his purpose (and he reminded me so much of his character in Eurovision with the accent!) I also loved Whitney’s best friend, cheerleader and colleague Tisha who was portrayed by Myha’la. She was always there in the background, but she played such an important part in Tinder and Bumble respectively.

What I enjoyed most about the film was how empowering it was to watch as a woman. The sisterhood between Whitney and Tisha, as well as the other women who started off working at Tinder and went on to thrive at Bumble was lovely to see. During the short period of time the I dabbled in Tinder, I didn’t have many positive experiences. Seeing this depicted in the film was refreshing because it did shed light on the downsides of online dating as well as the upsides. Having Bumble come into play where women were able to make the first move made me feel safe when it came to romantic and platonic relationships. I’m glad that this was properly explored and that it also reflected the lives of the women who were behind the app in the first place.

Overall, Swiped is definitely one of the better biopics that I have seen in recent years. With a brilliant lead performance by Lily James and the girl power that oozed throughout, I walked away from it feeling like I wanted to do better and be better for all the other women out there. I definitely recommend checking out.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

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David (Colin Farrell) and Sarah (Margot Robbie) meet at a wedding. When they discover that they both got there with cars from the same rental agency, they embark on a journey suggested to them by the GPS. Coming across doors leading to various moments from their pasts, David and Sarah are forced to face the things they once buried deep while determining their future together.

Directed by Kogonada, this is not your average romance flick. While it is marketed as so, it really focuses on the individual journeys that the two main characters have to go through. You know the saying it’s important to love yourself before you can love somebody else? That couldn’t be more true here. David has always had impossible standards when it comes to finding the one while Sarah is a serial cheater who would prefer to hurt others before they can hurt her. The way in which they must make peace with integral moments of their lives was done in a truly unique way.

The cinematography featured was beautiful. Magical realism at its best, in order to properly enjoy it, you just need to go with it. From discovering a bright red door in the middle of the forest, to one filled with graffiti in a field of wild flowers, the locations just got more and more intriguing. I particularly loved the scene where David and Sarah were sitting on top of a hill, looking down on Earth.

Farrell and Robbie shine. Their chemistry wasn’t as palpable as I would have liked, but individually they did a great job. Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Kevin Kline are scene stealers as the Female Cashier and Mechanic who work at the car rental agency while Jodie Turner-Smith lends her voice the GPS system. I wouldn’t have minded more time with the former two as they were really funny.

Overall, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey boasted some ambitious ideas. Unfortunately they didn’t always stick the landing. The film’s authenticity was questioned due to a shaky script and being too self-aware of itself. At least the performances and scenery helped pull it through.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

Splitsville

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Carey (Kyle Marvin) and Ashley (Adria Arjona) have been married for only thirteen months when she says she wants a divorce. Beside himself, Carey runs to his best friend Paul (Michael Angelo Covino) and his wife Julie (Dakota Johnson) for advice. When Carey learns their secret to a happy marriag, he decides to go for it, leaving a trial of chaos in his wake.

Written by both male leads and directed by Covino, this is an interesting take on open relationships. This is a concept that has recently become more popular and while it may work for some, it is clear that it becomes quite complicated for the four main characters. As a result, they come off as being annoying and unlikeable, but that is what makes the film work so well. The fact that the film is so self aware is why it excels.

This was brilliantly casted. Marvin and Covino are hilarious and completely over the top. They may be best friends, but they do butt heads. One of the funniest scenes I have had the pleasure of witnessing all year took place between the two of them. I have not laughed that hard or that long in ages. Johnson is once again beautiful and magnetic while Arjona is fiery; stubborn and needed more screen time. All four worked so well off of each other.

While the film starts strong, immediately hooking the audience, it does lose pace in the final act. I couldn’t help but wonder how long the same jokes would work until they began to feel overstuffed and repetitive. It also felt like everything was tied up way too neatly for my liking which almost seemed out of place.

Overall, Splitsville is one of the funniest films I have seen in some time. It’s modern and isn’t afraid to push boundaries when needed. Though it is not perfect by any means, there is still a lot to enjoy as long as it’s not taken too seriously!

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5

Oh, Hi!

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Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac (Logan Lerman) have been dating for four months when they decide to go away together for a weekend. What starts as the perfect romantic getaway complete with stopping at a roadside strawberry stand, swimming in the private pond and a scallop dinner complete with dancing under the stars quickly escalates. When Iris finds out that Isaac isn’t exactly on the same page as she is in their relationship, she does the only thing she can think of – leave him tied up against the bed to try and convince him why they would be good together.

Sophie Brooks wrote and directed this offbeat, quirky romantic comedy. I went into the film not really knowing what to expect; I certainly did not think it was going to be so funny. This helped balance out the slow descent of chaos that Iris eventually finds herself in. What could have very well been something dark and unsettling was actually believable enough that the audience can understand why she makes the choices that she does.

I love that this took place primarily in one location. It made the whole thing feel a lot more intimate and like we were right there with the characters. The farmhouse and its surrounding landscapes were beautiful; it was a great juxtaposition for what ends up happening. There also was a small amount of characters which made it easy to keep track of. Gordon and Lerman did a fab job as Iris and Isaac. Throughout the film you find yourself siding with both of them and seeing where they are both coming from in this predicament. Geraldine Viswanathan and John Reynolds star as Max and Kenny, Iris’s best friend and her boyfriend. Their addition halfway through the film is a welcome one as the comedy ramped up even more.

Oh, Hi! surprised me in the best way possible. I knew very little going into it and I think that was the best way to experience it. While the loose ends are tied up a bit too neatly, the overall message shone through. As a result it was way more relatable than I was expecting it to be.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️