HBO Max’s ‘Love Life’ runs hot and cold
It’s not always easy to love “Love Life” — one of a handful of HBO Max exclusives that debuted with the new powerhouse streaming service from Warner Media — but, by the end, you at least develop a bit of a crush on it.
From showrunner Sam Boyd (“In a Relationship”), “Love Life” is billed as a romantic-comedy anthology series taking a person through “the journey from first love to last love, and how the people we’re with along the way make us into who we are when we finally end up with someone forever.” It is designed for each episode to tell the story of a relationship in a person’s life — that’s more or less what happens in this inaugural season — and intended to have a different protagonist each season. (We’ll see if it gets renewed.)
This initial season stars the ever-appealing Anna Kendrick (“Pitch Perfect,” “A Simple Favor”) as Darby Carter, an easy-to-root-for if also far-from-perfect New Yorker looking for, well, love, as well as meaningful growth in her friendships and a fulfilling career.
Like a relationship, “Love Life” has its ups and downs; it starts out well enough, largely is a bore in the middle and then works its way to a fairly satisfying conclusion. Its eighth episode — about the love for a friend being tested greatly — easily is its best, with those that follow being among the stronger works, as well.
The first half-hour, of course, introduces us to Darby, whose parents divorced whenshewas4andwhoasa young girl took “an anxiety poo” in the yard of a boy with whom she’d just spent a few awkward minutes.
Can’t say we’ve all been there.
Now a young adult, Darby shares an apartment with best friend Sara (Zoe Chao); Sara’s boyfriend, Jim (Peter Vack); and another friend, Mallory (Sasha Compere). Desiring an exciting job in the art world, she works for a company that provides museum tours led by the sophisticated Bradley (Scoot McNairy).
At a bar during karaoke, Darby meets the smart-andfun Augie (Jin Ha), and the two quickly fall for each other. Of course, we know from the premise of the series that Darby and Augie won’t live happily ever after — at least not yet.
Augie does reappear — after Darby has had a dalliance with Bradley, who by then was her former boss — with a new woman on his arm. A very-casually dressed Darby is unprepared for the encounter and, understandably, is quite awkward during it. Upon returning home, she remarks to her roomies she wouldn’t have been so unprepared to see Augie with a new girlfriend if she’d not stopped following him on social media.
“You know, no one ever talks about the perils of not cyberstalking an ex,” Mallory quips.
If only “Love Life” were often this clever. For a show about modern dating — one with its fair share of relatively casual sex — it’s old-fashioned in its storytelling and dialogue. Too often, it’s almost dreadfully dull.
Where it succeeds, is in its evolution of Darby. Gradually, she becomes an at least somewhat different person by the end through significant life experiences. It’s believable and feels right.
While Kendrick isn’t exactly stretching her acting legs here — she’s played characters similar to Darby several times — she nonetheless is a big reason it’s ultimately worth spending five or so hours with this woman.