LucyBoynton – Credits Rolling

Harriet (Lucy Boynton) has been dealing with the sudden loss of her boyfriend Max (David Corenswet). In order to help her grieve, she discovers that certain songs can transport her back into a particular time in which they spent together. As she tries to fit the pieces together in the past, her life in the present takes off when she meets David (Justin H. Min).

I really liked the concept of this movie. It blends so many different genres together from romance, comedy and drama to time travel. It’s so true that one particular song can really send you back to when you first heard it. The way in which this was incorporated throughout the film was really smart. The song choices were A+ too; there were some well known classics and others that I wasn’t familiar with, but they all fit perfectly.

Boynton should lead more films because she did a stellar job as our protagonist. She’s clearly been through a lot and she’s torn between her past and her future, but wouldn’t anybody be in her predicament? Max and David couldn’t be more different, but neither of them outshine the other. Boynton has pitch perfect chemistry with both Corenswet and Min that you can’t help rooting for both of them to end up with her. The addition of Harriet’s best friend Morris (Austin Crute) was a welcome one. You could tell he was her ride or die and I appreciated how supportive he was of her while also keeping her grounded.

As much as I enjoyed the time travel aspect of the story, I have to say that it did get a bit repetitive. I also wish we’d had a bit more background on Max. As the film was told in Harriet’s point of view we didn’t really get to know him outside of her thoughts and feelings.

The Greatest Hits is an emotionally charged romantic dramedy that only got better as it progressed. With fabulous performances and an even better soundtrack, this is a film I will be revisiting.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5

Not going to lie, I wasn’t sure I was going to be up for watching a movie about a pandemic especially when we are knee deep in one. Movies, to me, are for escaping, not to be reminded of what is is I am already dealing with every single day. That being said, Locked Down looked fun and it starred some really well known actors so I decided to give it a shot.

When London goes into lockdown to help curve COVID-19, Linda (Anne Hathaway) and Paxton (Chiwetel Ejiofor) had just made the decision to separate after many years together. With no other choice but to cohabit during this time, they try to make the best out of an inconvenient situation. Then, a chance of a lifetime opportunity presents itself. Linda and Paxton must work together one last time if they want to change their lives forever.

If I’m being honest, I was both highly amused and kind of taken aback at how realistic this was. It perfectly embodied what life is like today complete with zoom calls, social distanced meet ups and the wearing of masks (though there wasn’t nearly enough of that). To be fair, it seems as though this had been filmed at the beginning of the pandemic and a lot has changed since then.

I did like the premise of the film, but I expected more. I had gone into it thinking I was about to watch a comedy and while I did laugh out loud, there were a lot more serious moments than I had bargained for. I also felt like some parts were slow and while I appreciate the need to set up the story, not much happened until the end.

There were some fun cameos by some very famous people which I thoroughly enjoyed. Ben Stiller, Lucy Boynton, Mindy Kaling and Ben Kingsley rounded out the cast and made for great side characters. I loved it whenever one of them would pop up.

If you are looking for a different sort of heist movie, I’d say give Locked Down a go. Just prepared that it hits very close to home these days.

Rating: ♥♥♥