Love At First Sight | Review by: Benjamin Garrett

With a title as sappy as it’s subject matter, Love at First Sight should not work as well as it does. My inner rom-com cynic is having an existential crisis right now, because despite my icy demeanour going into the movie, it kind of won me over.

This isn’t your standard rom-com, despite playing into several familiar trappings of the genre. There’s a bit of comedy here and there, but this is more of a straight-up romance than anything else, wearing its heart proudly on its sleeve. It’s cheesier than a bag of Cheetos, but it’s effective in telling a love story built around chance, fate and statistics.

Haley Lu Richardson and Ben Hardy are entirely charming together, but despite this being a story of new romance, the movie is at its best when looking at them as individuals. They’re both young, naive and hesitant to adapt to major changes life has thrown their way. The movie explores their relationships with their parents, and even when the romantic components feel trite, the family elements have surprising emotional richness.

Love at First Sight is a pleasant surprise that will melt even the coldest of hearts. It’s at times overly sentimental, predictable, and sappy as hell, but not once does it try to hide that. It explores love not just in a romantic sense, but also the unflinching love we have for our families, even through complicated times.

3/5

Review by: Benjamin Garrett

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