Love, Rosie – review

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Love, Rosie is the latest product in the “heterosexual men and women cannot be friends without sex/love getting in the way” corner of the rom-com market. Adapted from Cecilia Ahern’s novel Where Rainbows End, it follows Rosie Dunne (Lily Collins) and Alex Stewart (Sam Clafin), childhood best friends and somewhat oblivious soulmates, through early adulthood. During this time, they are separated by the Atlantic Ocean and encounter unplanned pregnancy, marriage, and divorce. Although weighed down by clunky dialogue, clichés, and a lot of exaggerated flirting, the film has a surprising amount of substance when compared to some of the Hollywood rom-coms based on a similar premise — Made of Honour (2008) for example — but is not as well scripted as others, such as One Day (2011). It shies away from fully dealing with some issues, for instance Rosie dismissing the question of abortion with, “my parents are Catholic — don’t believe in all that.” However, its flippant tone is necessary in maintaining a balance between the serious issues raised in the story and its ultimately light-hearted nature. No doubt partly thanks to the cast of attractive young actors on the screen, the cinematography is appealing, although as the film was shot in Ireland but set in England, one lingering shot of the top of Grafton Street and Stephen’s Green shopping centre may be conspicuous to Irish viewers. Overall, the unresolved tension of unacknowledged attraction between the two is an irritating constant for most of the film’s duration, but if that is tolerated, it is sweet and for the most part enjoyable.

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