We've recently seen romantic comedies do well in the box office. Anyone But You (2023) continued in the tradition of screwball situations. Like Anyone But You, this feature starts out with the love interests at odds, at times actively hating each other. However, they accidentally or unknowingly end up at a mutual person's wedding in an exotic, tropical locale. Through the wedding activities or other shenanigans, the two fall for each other again after a miscommunication separates them. There was another recent film that followed this same pattern. That film was Ticket to Paradise (2022), but the lovers in question were over the age of 50. That 2022 flick featured Julia Roberts and George Clooney as the leads. It's not often that leads in that age-group get a big screen love story. This film is another to add to middle-age romance representation. It doesn't compare to The Graduate (1967) despite one shot that mimics the classic film.
Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan and The Blue Lagoon) stars as Lana Winslow, a scientist, a genetic researcher who works at a San Francisco university. She's a widow and currently an empty nester. She has one child, an adult daughter. She's surprised to learn her daughter is engaged to be married. She knows nothing about her future son-in-law and she has no time to learn more about him because the wedding is being rushed in Phuket, Thailand.
Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly and Despicable Me) co-stars as Emma Winslow, the daughter and only child of Lana. She's fallen in love with a guy she met in London. He proposed to Emma and she accepted before her mom has met him. She's worried that her mom will be judgmental of her fiancé. Emma got a six-figure deal with a high-end resort and that resort is fast-tracking and funding her luxury wedding in Thailand. However, the resort has a representative who keeps insisting that she makes decisions about the wedding she doesn't want, but Emma goes along because she doesn't want to ruin the experience.
The rub is that Lana learns that her future son-in-law is actually the son of her ex-boyfriend. Lana hasn't seen or spoken to her ex-boyfriend in what seems like decades. They had somewhat of a bad breakup, so knowing their children are getting married is a bit awkward and is a large chunk of the comedy here. Another source of the comedy is Lana's awkwardness in general. Despite being a beautiful woman, she doesn't seem that assertive and can be a bit clumsy or bumbling.
Benjamin Bratt (Poker Face and Law & Order) also co-stars as Will Jackson, the ex-boyfriend of Lana and the father to Lana's future son-in-law. Will is now a successful businessman. What that business is, we don't exactly know, but he's very wealthy and his son is following in his footsteps. Will is just as surprised to learn that his future daughter-in-law is the child of his ex-girlfriend. He's divorced and single, so it's obvious where things will go. Yet, given how attractive and rich he is, it's odd that he is still single. In a film like Anyone But You, a short-hand about a guy's dating history can be easily made because the guy in that 2023 film was young, but when it comes to a man like Will who is in his late 50's or older, it's unbelievable that his dating history would be left as a blank space, especially since the film goes out of its way to show how sexy he is in not one but two nude scenes for him.
The same could be said about Lana's dating history. It's revealed that Lana's husband died when Emma was 8. Emma is presumably in her mid 20's now. Lana has a sister, Janice, played by Rachael Harris (Lucifer and Suits) who is very pushy and very horny. The idea that Janice wouldn't have helped to hook up Lana in all those years following her husband's death seems unlikely. We're to assume that Lana focused on her scientific work to the exclusion of a dating life, but this is to assume that Lana has had no romantic interest or sexual desire in 20 years.
Chad Michael Murray (Agent Carter and One Tree Hill) plays Lucas Campion, a fellow doctor who takes an interest in Lana, which couldn't be the first time a handsome man, younger or not, has taken a liking to her in the past 20 years or so. Even though it's obvious that Lucas doesn't really have a chance with Lana, their relationship makes sense because they have shared interests. Both Lana and Lucas are scientists, working in the medical field. What this film doesn't explain is why Lana was ever in love with Will other than his looks and being a fun guy.
Sean Teale (Who Is Erin Carter? and The Gifted) plays RJ, the son to Will. He tells Emma that it was love at first sight. Because this is a rom-com, those kinds of things fly without any questioning. Yet, in the 21st century, the idea of "love at first sight" still reduces women to only their looks. It would've been nice if this film or any romantic story could enumerate why a man loves a woman beyond the superficial. The reverse should be true as well. We never get why Lana is in love with Will. She didn't say so, but if we assume, it's love at first sight, then that also just reduces Will to his looks, which isn't fair to him as a person or a character.
Wilson Cruz (Star Trek: Discovery and My So-Called Life) plays Scott Jackson, the brother to Will, and Michael McDonald (Web Therapy and MADtv) rounds out the cast as Clay, the husband to Scott. Scott and Clay were also friends with Lana while they were students at Stanford University. They could've been used to illuminate the details of the relationship between Lana and Will or get at the why of their love beyond the superficial. Scott could've also helped with illuminating Will's dating history, but all of that instead remains a blank.
Rated TV-PG.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 30 mins.
Available on Netflix.