FILM PICK OF THE WEEK
Another one of Netflix’s sweet made-forstreaming romcoms, this tells the story of a young couple who meet on a transatlantic flight and feel an instant connection.
The film then plays according to the rules of the genre – there are plenty of obstacles put in their way, but a happy ending is never in doubt. There is much comfort to be had in that formula and if you are willing to go along with it, this certainly delivers on the feelgood front and has much more to offer besides.
Ben Hardy plays 22-year-old Oliver, a graduate student in statistics at Yale heading back from New York to the UK for the Shakespearethemed living memorial event of his terminally ill actress mother (Sally Phillips), while Haley Lu Richardson is 20-year-old Hadley, an NYU student who is somewhat reluctantly on the way to be a bridesmaid at the Christmastime wedding of her recently divorced father (Rob Delaney).
They first set eyes on each other at JFK airport when Hadley has missed her flight to London by four minutes – she is perennially late and a little disorganised – and has to get the next flight. As she searches for somewhere to charge her mobile phone, Hardy, an organised self-confessed ‘maths geek’, offers her the loan of his charger. They exchange some nice, sparky banter, have a meal together and thanks to a faulty seat belt end up sitting together on the flight. Once arrived in London, however, fate intervenes to separate them without means of contact and it is then up to each of them to summon up their courage and find the other.
Adapted from Jennifer E Smith’s novel The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, the screenplay by Katie Lovejoy does perhaps focus a little too much on the stats – although it’s neatly handled with Jameela Jamil providing a voiceover of facts and figures relating to love, life and fate. Jamil also pops up as various knowing supporting characters including a flight attendant, bus driver, passport control officer and party guest. There is a lovely natural chemistry between Hardy and Richardson and both their characters are extremely likeable. It isn’t just about romance though, it is also about the importance of family, embracing the unexpected in life and living for the moment. Heart-warming, funny and moving, it makes for perfect cosy autumnal viewing.