This review contains spoilers for the movie Love at First Sight.
I’ve always been a sucker for a good rom-com, but Love at First Sight has risen to the top of my list. Produced by Matt Kaplan and directed by Vanessa Caswill, this movie was better than I thought it would be after seeing the trailer. It’s funny, silly, sad, cute, sweet, and heartfelt. Love at First Sight opens in an airport with Hadley (Haley Lu Richardson), missing her flight to London. She then meets Oliver (Ben Hardy), during her layover, waiting for her next flight. They talk and get food, and when they hear their plane being called, they run for the gate. After Hadley forgets her bag, Oliver grabs it, and they end up sitting together on the plane. They separate before going through customs, but not before Oliver gives Hadley his number, which she unfortunately loses when her phone dies.
The movie goes on to show their separate stories: Hadley going to her father’s second wedding, and Oliver going to his mother’s living memorial. The memorial consists of people reading medieval monologues and skits, singing, and dancing. The scene is heartbreaking and painful. I was gutted when Oliver ultimately delivered his eulogy that he had been so nervous about the entire movie. I won’t spoil the film entirely, but the star-crossed lovers eventually reunite for a picture-perfect happily ever after.
Haley Lu Richardson is one of my most recent favorite actresses after her appearance in The White Lotus. This movie really shows what kind of actress she’s cemented herself to be. Richardson shines in her roles as the hopeless romantic and I love it. The chemistry between the two leads of this film was tangible, and both actors played their roles perfectly.
While the movie takes place over the span of less than 24 hours, it feels like I spent forever with Hadley and Oliver. Their love story was short in time, but big in feeling. I couldn’t have been happier than at the end when the narrator said they spent the rest of their lives together, because why watch a rom-com if there isn’t a happy ending? Though Netflix stopped putting out memorable rom-coms for a while, they definitely showed up with this one. As the film began coming to a close, I was elated to see ten minutes left on the play bar. When I realized it was just the credits, I wanted to cry — that’s how good this movie was. Be prepared to laugh, cry, and smile during this movie, and also be prepared for these characters to be a part of your life forever.