Love, Rosie

Movie Review (published by Geek Ireland, October 21st)

***

Love, Rosie is a British -slash German- movie, based on a novel by Irish writer Cecilia Ahern (it’s the adaptation of Where Rainbows End). Perhaps this is all a bit confusing.

Rosie and Alex are best friends since they can remember, but are afraid of getting romantically involved, as they are not sure if they are right for each other. Everything that happens next follows the classic pattern of a romantic comedy. Though the plot goes on and on in circles for twelve years until these childhood sweethearts get back together. There are pregnancies, wrong husbands and wives, stolen mail and an endless list of clichéd elements. However, they don’t make the watch less enjoyable (unless the viewer is expecting something more than an easy consumption movie).

Unwanted teenaged pregnancy and other serious matters are included in Alex and Rosie's story, but with a sugar coated tone. The heroine manages to take the right decision to keep her angelical aura throughout the film. Rosie, interpreted by Lily Collins, is allowed to be an innocent, sweet and apparently flawless heroine until the end. Flawless, if we manage to forget that she goes through life making the same mistakes than any mere mortal makes. Although many delicate matters are suggested throughout the story, the approach has a lot more reservations than in per say Obvious Child , but this riskier title did not manage to create much of a romantic vibe around its characters of for that matter that much sympathy. So, they are even.

Collins as Rosie and Sam Claflin –Finnick in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- playing her best friend/school sweetheart Alex are believable as a couple. They are also the right cast choice to interpret teenage kids and more grown ups versions of themselves. Another successful and efficient cast choice is Rosie’s real best friend played by Jamie Winstone, who takes part in the pharmacy scene (one of the best ones without a doubt). There are other scenes that work well and keep that air of refreshing British comedy (a lá Bridget Jones) such as the ‘first time’ scene and the lift line.

The music in Love, Rosie is a playlist of those hits you are trying to forget existed; but made you dance like crazy because you were younger and less wise than you are now. There is an element of interference in the way the music is fit into the final cut. Those hits, adjust perfectly fine in the story line, but they replace the possibility of more dialog, which points out a lacking screenplay.  At some points the music reminded me of that episode in 30 Rock, in which Avery and Jack are trying to take a very important decision and the music is turned up by some randomer. Unfortunately, in Love, Rosie, the characters don’t have the power to ask for the music to be turned down.

Cecilia Ahern’s novel is a succession of letters, e-mails, IMs and other forms of modern communication used by human beings. So, there is no traditional narration, but the one done through the messages exchanged by the main characters. But Love, Rosie’s script does not take advantage of so many raw materials from the original novel. Or, is it the disinterest of the director, Christian Ditter, to exploit potential tense moments between the characters?  

Where Rainbows End was published in the US with the same title as its movie adaptation. The title choice for this movie, to clearly give better chances to its distribution in America, is the ending line for a letter, funny enough fact since Rosie does not write a single missive in the movie!

Love, Rosie is cheesy, has a predictable ending (let's not forget we are talking about Cecilia Ahern here). But all and all, it’s a very enjoyable romcom that blends into the American model, with refreshing moments as it corresponds to a British comedy.