‘Love Again’: Cast & Crew
Director: James C. Strouse
Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Sam Heughan, Celine Dion, Sofia Barclay, Russell Tovey, Lydia West, Steve Oram, Omid Djalili, Nick Jonas, Celia Imrie, Arinzé Kene
Available On: Netflix
Duration: 1 Hour 44 Minutes
‘Love Again’: Story
A young woman (Priyanka Chopra) tries to ease the pain of her fiancé’s (Arinzé Kene) death by sending romantic texts to his old cell phone number and forms a connection with the man (Sam Heughan) the number has been reassigned to. Will this young woman be lied to on her face and taken advantage of? Will she end up getting fucked over by this man who’s got the new connection? Will she get manipulated into falling in love? Will she ever find out the truth? Will the man with the new connection get away with this deceit? Well, for all that you’ll have to watch ‘Love Again’.
‘Love Again’: Performances
Priyanka Chopra shines bright in a performance that feels so natural. She has played the girl-next-door kind of romcoms in so many films in Bollywood that ‘Love Again’ felt like just so easy for her. The way she handled the nuances, and the emotional bits made you realise how seasoned of an actress she is. There were scenes where there were long takes with just her face on the screen and nothing else moving, and she managed to tell so much with just her expressions.
Sam Heughan is decent. The character wasn’t something that only he and no other actor could have played. It was quite a generic character, but Sam Heughan tried to bring in a Scottish flavour to it, which made it slightly more interesting. Sadly, the performance didn’t have too much to explore and therefore the act came out quite unidimensional. Wasn’t entirely his fault, but the character itself didn’t have too much meat.
What a cracker of a performance by Celine Dion! She is funny, witty and oh-so-gorgeous even today. I wonder why she hadn’t ventured into acting earlier as she is the perfect mix which romantic and comedy films need. Even though she had an extended cameo, she ruled whenever she came onscreen. I wish we get to see more of Celine Dion’s acting in future movies.
‘Love Again’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects
James C. Strouse’s writing is pretty much the weakest link in ‘Love Again’. The premise is predictable, and the entire plot can be figured out right from the trailer itself. There isn’t any amount of ambiguity or suspense left for the viewer to find out during the climax. It happens with almost all romcoms, but still, there are few that manage to give the viewer something unique to help them remember the film. Sadly, there wasn’t anything like that in ‘Love Again’s writing which will make it memorable for ages. You might just binge it for a bit of feel-good factor a few times whenever you’re feeling low.
James C. Strouse’s direction, however, tries to lift up the film to quite an extent. The way he has shot the film gives you that gooey mushy feeling. It makes you want to grab a hot cup of coffee, snuggle into your warmers, share the couch with your partner and binge the film. Getting that feel-good factor is quite imperative in such romcoms, and he has got it pretty well. Especially with that entire climax being shot in a snowfall setting, it just made you want to fall in love all over again.
Keegan DeWitt’s music is pretty much the best thing in ‘Love Again’. The songs by Celine Dion were sheer magic which transported you back to the late 1990s and early 2000s when Dion was at the topmost of her game. While the recreated old songs of Celine Dion did create a nostalgic feel, it were the new songs of Celine Dion which got you hooked. Most of them definitely deserve a place in your playlists. ‘Love of My Life’ will definitely be the pick of the lot.
Andrew Dunn’s cinematography is another high point for ‘Love Again’. The way the beautiful locales of New York have been captured make it worth the watch. It manages to build that corny Christmas movie sort of a feel where you know everything will be all right. The snowfall in the climax is just sheer perfection. To add to this, the usage of the various bokeh filters to make the scenes look even brighter was a masterstroke.
Jesse Gordon’s editing is crisp. He manages to not let the film drag too much as such romcoms usually tend to go overboard with the feel-good factor. Thankfully in an hour and 44 minutes, this is just about perfect. Not to forget the presentation is really smooth and there is hardly any feel of a jump cut ever.
‘Love Again’: Can Kids Watch It?
Yes
Outlook’s Verdict
‘Love Again’ is the perfect rom-com for this romantic monsoon season. It’s got the unmissable mushy gooey snuggly feel to it that works so well. Even though the plot’s entirely predictable, there is a certain feel-good factor to it which makes you not want to stop it once you’ve started. If you’re a hardcore romantic at heart, this is the perfect way to enjoy the dreamy rainy weather all around. It’s a Breezy Repeatable Watch. I am going with 3.5 stars.
