‘Love, Guaranteed’: A charming rom-com for the new era
Can you swipe your way to love? Dating apps and websites are no longer taboo, embarrassing secrets but viable options in many a singleton’s bid to find love. The question remains, however, do they deliver? In Mark Steven Johnson’s romantic comedy by the same name, Love, Guaranteed is a Seattle-based dating app that seeks to help eager new joiners find love.
In fact, the fine print assures those who sign up that, if they embark on a whopping 1,000 dates, they are guaranteed to find love. Nick Evans (played with finesse by Damon Wayans Jr.) kicks off the Netflix rom-com by revealing he’s had 986 dates, but no luck in the love department. A former baseball player, Nick wants to sue Love, Guaranteed, run by the fantastically fashionable Tamara Taylor (Heather Graham), who beneath the veneer of Tibetan spiritualism and the sweetest of smiles, is a hard nut. Our dejected man takes the help of lawyer Susan Whitaker (beautifully played by Rachael Leigh Cook), whose magnanimity in offering pro bono services has landed her company — and two comedic assistants — in deep trouble. Her bills are mounting and when Nick walks in and promises to pay handsomely to bring Love, Guaranteed to its knees, Susan is forced to take the deal.
The film has an old-world charm and it is not difficult to guess how it will end, despite a rather unexpected plot device used to create “will they, won’t they” tension. The friendship between Susan and Nick begins with trepidation and suspicion, but is beautifully crafted and handled with a sense of warmth and sincerity. Cook and Wayans are natural — he is reserved and observant, while she is shy and even socially awkward, but inside the hallowed premises of the courtroom and the boardroom, she is a tigress and it’s quite fun to watch. The contrast is portrayed with amazing simplicity.
“Love, Guaranteed” is a sweet, rather predictable film worth a cozy night in as it will leave viewers with a pleasant, fuzzy feeling. And with everything going on in the world, don’t we all need just that?