BenHardy – Credits Rolling

Based on the novel The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, the film follows two people who meet by chance, fall in love over the span of a six hour flight, and the lengths they’ll go to to find each other again.

Hadley Sullivan (Haley Lu Richardson) is used to things going wrong in her life so when she misses her flight to London for her father’s wedding, she bites the bullet and gets herself a ticket for the next one out. Oliver Jones (Ben Hardy) is a mysterious British guy who she meets along the way. Sparks immediately fly, but when they’re separated after landing, can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

This rom com screamed cute. I liked how it was different than similar films of the same genre lately. Not only was the chemistry between Richardson and Hardy absolutely adorable, there was substance behind their characters that gave their relationship some extra oomph. Hadley is dealing with abandonment issues after her dad (Rob Delaney) leaves to teach at Oxford, while Oliver is struggling with the imminent loss of his mother (Sally Philips). Each had baggage and instead of keeping it to themselves, they wanted the other to know what was going on.

My favorite part of the whole thing was Jameela Jamil as the narrator. Right from the get go, it was like she was reading the audience a fairytale and as the movie went on, it was so fun to see her pop up in each scene. Acting as a Jiminey Cricket of sorts, she donned the hat of airplane passenger, flight attendant, customs officer, bus driver and bartender to lead Hadley to Oliver and back again. This was a fresh, interesting take that I felt really worked.

Taking place in the vibrant London, I loved attempting to count how many places I could recognize. And thanks to a soundtrack with some really catchy covers, Love At First Sight was an enjoyable enough watch for me. It may not be anything to write home about, but it’s definitely one of the better titles that Netflix has put out lately.

Rating: ♥️♥️.5

When young couple Pippa (Sydney Sweeney) and Thomas (Justice Smith) move into their dream apartment in Montreal, they are excited to embark on this next stage of their relationship. They soon realize that they can look directly into the apartment across the way. Inhabited by photographer Seb (Ben Hardy) and former model Julia (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), it’s impossible for Pippa and Thomas to look away. What starts off as innocent curiosity turns into a full blown obsession that will lead to inevitable disaster.

The Voyeurs is unlike any movie I have seen before. The concept was foreign to me and if it wasn’t for Sydney Sweeney, I probably wouldn’t have watched it. But my interest peaked while checking out the trailer and I knew I had to see what it was all about. What started as me being skeptical turned into full on investment and at some point I couldn’t even turn my eyes away from the screen. I needed to see what was going to happen next!

While the film is graphic on many levels, it’s important to look past it in order to fully appreciate the story. I don’t want to say too much and spoil it, but we shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover.

I appreciated the young talent shown throughout. Sydney Sweeney’s star is definitely on the rise. Starting out in Euphoria and most recently starring in The White Lotus, girl is going places and I can’t wait for her career to flourish even more. Justice Smith was a great choice as Thomas – his chemistry with Sydney was believable and realistic. The couple across the street portrayed by Ben Hardy and Natasha Liu Bordizzo were entrancing and kind of scary. And for fans of Kim’s Convenience, Jean Yoon has a supporting role as Pippa’s boss.

Yes, The Voyeurs comes across as trashy, however it is anything but. It was really surprising and kept me guessing the whole way through. I wouldn’t write it off just yet.

Rating: ♥♥♥