Charming 'Love At First Sight' is a flight worth taking
Netflix
If you’re the type to complain about even a good romantic comedy, you might note that “Love At First Sight” doesn’t know how to create conflict or a reason for its characters to be apart, settling for a phone that needs to be recharged as the biggest villain. Or that it’s a movie featuring a lot of nice people (ugh, imagine that) and a corny gimmick in which many minor characters are played by the narrator (Jameela Jamil of “The Good Place”). There are a few times where you’re so sure that you know what someone is going to say that you will say the line in advance, and you will be right.
I’d argue that a person able to like a movie like this won’t especially mind the flaws, as they’ll be too busy swooning for a love story that taps into the essence of partnership. The duo is brought together after Oliver (Ben Hardy of “Bohemian Rhapsody”) offers to help Hadley (Haley Lu Richardson of “The White Lotus” and “Support the Girls”) charge her phone after she misses her flight to London, where she’s heading to her dad’s (Rob Delaney) wedding and Oliver has some undefined formal event as well. The spark is instant, and it’s worth noting that the movie is based on Jennifer E. Smith’s book “The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight,” with that first part of that title driven by Oliver’s fixation on understanding the world through numbers and stats. (Sorry, I couldn’t possibly relate to that.) The second part would seem like an old-fashioned and superficial concept to explore through two people in their early 20s who spend just a number of hours together, then have to find their way back together after the aforementioned, charging-related snafu.
In fact, Hadly and Oliver are highly worth rooting for because, unlike countless characters forced together in a story like this, they fit, with room to learn. Their rhythms, their humor, what they appreciate about each other. For “Love At First Sight” to work we have to think this is the start of something big, and we do. Both leads are spot-on (keep giving Richardson significant opportunities, please), and they manage to keep the bond cute instead of cutesy. They also instill passion without teetering away from the emotional connection — and emotional intelligence — that makes both seem to recognize quickly that despite meeting at an airport, this dynamic isn’t the recipe for a fling. And also that opportunities require you to do something about them, or they’re gone.
Yeah yeah, the lack of conflict does make the 84-minute runtime drag a bit, and flickers of “Serendipity” and several other rom-coms will exist in your head. You’ll also get choked up and smile giddily and remember how it feels for a love story to see support as an essential component of the long term, and to see a movie of this kind that generates the warmth you want.
B
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