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Love at First Sight (2023 film)

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Love at First Sight
Promotional release poster
Directed byVanessa Caswill
Screenplay byKatie Lovejoy
Based onThe Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
by Jennifer E. Smith
Produced byMatt Kaplan
Starring
CinematographyLuke Bryant
Edited by
Music byPaul Saunderson
Production
company
ACE Entertainment
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • September 15, 2023 (2023-09-15)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Love at First Sight is a 2023 American romantic comedy film directed by Vanessa Caswill and written by Katie Lovejoy, based upon the 2011 novel The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith. It stars Haley Lu Richardson, Ben Hardy, Dexter Fletcher, Rob Delaney, Sally Phillips and Jameela Jamil. The film premiered on Netflix on September 15, 2023.

Plot

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On December 21st at JFK Airport, the narrator introduces 20-year old Hadley Sullivan. An American student who is often late with an undercharged phone, Hadley just misses her flight to London and is rebooked on the next.

At a charging station, Hadley meets British 22-year old Yale student Oliver Jones, who lends her his charger. They hit it off and agree to have dinner together at the food court. Hadley explains she is flying to London for her dad Andrew's second wedding and is ambivalent about his decision to remarry only a few years after divorcing her mother. Oliver reveals he is studying statistical inference and conducting a unspecified research project. As he is carrying a garment bag, Hadley assumes he is also going to a wedding, which he does not contest.

After boarding, Hadley and Oliver part, but he discovers his seat belt is broken, so is moved to the seat next to Hadley. They spend the flight falling in love.

After landing, Oliver puts his mobile number into Hadley's so she can contact him, but it dies and she loses the number. With no way to find him, Hadley goes to the wedding, arriving right before it's due to start. Although struggling with her father's decision to remarry, Hadley is struck by his fiancée Charlotte's kindness and consideration.

After the ceremony, Hadley overhears family friends telling Charlotte they’ll be leaving early to attend a memorial service. After hearing some of the details, Hadley quickly realizes Oliver has actually come to London to attend his mother’s memorial, not a wedding. Hadley spontaneously decides to go to it, as the wedding reception doesn't start for four hours.

Meanwhile, Oliver's brother Luther collects him at the airport to head to the Shakespeare-themed memorial. There, he reunites with his father Val, and his still-living mother Tessa, who has terminal lung cancer and wants to attend her own memorial. Oliver tells her he is unhappy she refuses to undergo treatment, but Tessa emphasises that even with treatment she would still die, so would rather do so feeling like herself.

Hadley finds the memorial service where she meets Oliver's family. After overcoming her initial confusion over Tessa still being alive, she eventually finds Oliver.

Oliver is happy to see Hadley, and tries to downplay his feelings about his mother's death. When she presses him to be honest and not use statistics to rationalise the situation, Oliver lashes out. Hadley leaves.

Afterwards, Oliver delivers Tessa's eulogy. In it, he confesses that he has attempted to measure his life in numbers to help make sense of it. However, he cannot reduce his mother’s presence and meaning to simple statistics.

Hadley, meanwhile, realises she forgot her backpack at the memorial and attempts to return to the wedding reception on foot, but gets lost. She borrows a phone and calls her dad, who collects her with Charlotte.

Andrew commends Hadley for taking a chance and going to see Oliver, and provides her with closure over her feelings about his divorce from her mother. He and Charlotte both apologise that their excitement to involve Hadley in their wedding unintentionally put pressure on her. Father and daughter reconcile and they all go to the reception together.

Following the memorial, Oliver's family teases him about Hadley, but Oliver insists it's futile to pursue her as the odds of their relationship working out are low. Having found Hadley's backpack, they find Andrew's wedding invitation inside and encourage Oliver to go see her. Val tells him that even if he had known that Tessa would eventually die of cancer, he wouldn't have done anything differently, and the family sets out to find Hadley.

Oliver tracks Hadley down at the reception and admits his three greatest fears: germs, the dark, and surprises, due to his mother's cancer diagnosis. She then kisses him. When Hadley asks Oliver what he's researching, he reveals it's the statistical probability of love at first sight.

The narrator then reveals that Hadley and Oliver will stay together for the rest of their lives, be married for 58 years, and have a daughter.

Cast

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Production

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In November 2020, Haley Lu Richardson joined the cast of the film, with Vanessa Caswill directing from a screenplay by Katie Lovejoy, based upon the 2011 novel The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, with Richardson also set to serve as an executive producer.[1] In January 2021, Ben Hardy, Dexter Fletcher, Rob Delaney, Sally Phillips and Jameela Jamil joined the cast of the film, with principal photography beginning that same month.[2]

Release

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In April 2022, Netflix bought worldwide rights to the film.[3] Love at First Sight premiered on Netflix on September 15, 2023.[4]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 73% of 48 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Love at First Sight gets a lot of mileage out of its quirky narrative gimmick and the chemistry of its appealing leads; although it's undermined somewhat by a lackluster script, this is still an above-average rom-com overall."[5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100 based on reviews from 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average".[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Galuppo, Mia (November 22, 2020). "Haley Lu Richardson to Lead Romance Adaptation From 'To All the Boys' Producers (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  2. ^ Galuppo, Mia (January 8, 2021). "Ben Hardy, Dexter Fletcher Join Romance From 'To All the Boys' Producers (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  3. ^ Grobar, Matt (April 26, 2022). "'The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight': Netflix Acquires 'To All The Boys' Producers' YA Romance Starring Haley Lu Richardson, Ben Hardy & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  4. ^ Grobar, Matt (August 30, 2023). "Netflix Sets Fall Movie Release Dates For The Killer, Pain Hustlers, Sly, Wes Anderson's The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  5. ^ "Love at First Sight". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  6. ^ "Love at First Sight". Metacritic. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
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