Love Sarah

I like to start with the positives about a film I review after all 6/10 is an average to good score from me . I'll begin with the delicious cakes and pastries that feature in the film and are provided by the bestselling food writer and restaurateur author and chef Yotam Ottolenghi especially the Matcha Mille crepe cake used in the plot.

I was amazed to read this very light weight script that took 3 people to write Eliza Schroeder (also director ) a mistake in my opinion as this is her first major film .Other writers were Mahalia Rimmer, and Jake Brunger who also wrote the screenplay.

The film is about a young woman who enlists the help of her mother's best friend and her eccentric estranged grandmother to fulfil her late mother's dream of opening a bakery in Notting Hill. It is now shooting in London.

The Director Elizabeth Schroeder said in an interview about the film "Having lost my mother whilst developing the film, my perspective on the outcome and the story I wanted to tell changed. Creating a story that was uplifting and touching whilst dealing with loss in my life became very important to me." and the film is dedicated to her late mother which is fitting. Luckily for Love Sarah, its cast abounds in talent and their chemistry is enjoyable to watch and easy to root for. The kind of feel good family drama Love Sarah wants to be is somewhere in this film, but hidden under layers of unnecessary character backstory and too many plot threads.

Celia Imrie as Mimi is delightful as the bittersweet Grandmother and the Supporting cast of Rupert Penry -Jones as Matthew in a relaxed romantic role of not much substance is also good. I also enjoyed Shelley Conn as Isabella and Shannon Tarbet as Clarissa the granddaughter. I was only talking about mediocre script writing recently and this film would fit in that category like a beautifully decorated that when tasted sometimes disappoints when tasted " Love Sarah " to my taste is just average.

To start, this movie was a very nice change after of all the bad that followed the world 2020 due to Covid. Although the story starts out very sad it turns into a very heart warming tale. If our movie theaters were open (they are not yet in the Pacific NW of USA) I would have gladly paid full price to go see it. There isn't much trivia about it here on IMBD but I wonder if it was written from the writers own personal experience, in relation to loss. At the end of the movie there was a "remembrance" of a person who passed, as well as the song at the end, about love, missing you, its all for you (or something like that)? Maybe I just noticed (or perceived that) because I have felt that tremendous loss after my son passed. Anyway, I found this to be a joyful, wonderful story of love, loss and resilience. Thumbs up to the writer, directorial staff and the actors and actresses!

After a tragic event occurs to a young woman named Sarah, her daughter Clarissa (Shannon Tarbet) makes the decision to her complete her mother's long term dream of opening a bakery in London. But when it comes to owning a business or baking, Clarissa isn't able to do this task on her own. She seeks assistance and support from her Grandma, Mimi (Celia Imrie), and Sarah's best friend, Isabella (Shelley Conn). Together these three women begin to renovate an old shop and transform it into something beautiful, also employing a young chef to assist with the baking.

Love Sarah is a film that doesn't take long to introduce the story or the ladies. Some elements in the setup are more implied which I enjoyed, plus it means the plot gets underway immediately instead of making the story slow, depressing and oppressive.

Performances by the leading ladies are lovely (especially from Celia Imrie who I always have a soft spot for). All characters here have chemistry on-screen when they interact with each other. Each character also brings a different set of skills when it comes to running a bakery due to their personal experiences. The film also focuses on the expertise of different generations, which was a lovely touch too. To my surprise, this film isn't just a drama. There are other aspects to this film, including romance, comedy and even the ingredient of mystery which I also found pleasing.

Another element I wanted to share about is the film's beautiful music score which was composed by Enis Rotthoff. It's truly a perfect match for this film, and I found the music alone moving at times. The director should also be mentioned. Love Sarah was directed by Eliza Schroeder, and according to IMBD this film is her very first feature film. As a first time director for a feature film, the results here are impressive, and the director should be proud of what she has achieved. There is a genuine freshness to this story and film.

While I have plenty of praise for this film, I do have one major issue which was extremely unfortunate. While it wasn't a constant issue, there was more than once where the style of filming was disappointing. During crucial scenes, the camera moves around and feels unpolished when compared to the rest of the film. There was one scene in particular which I was shocked was left in the final version of the movie due to the way it was filmed.

Overall, like a freshly-baked cake, Love Sarah is refreshing and delightful. While the film is classed as a drama, it contains an incredibly heartfelt story with the added ingredients of both humour and mystery. Performances are also fantastic, and I felt the leading ladies had beautiful chemistry together. All these ingredients will make the movie lover crave another slice as the credits roll.

7.4/10 - Walkden Entertainment

Really enjoyable romantic comedy set in London (I think Marylebone High street) about a small Cafe / Bakery. A great cast led by the always brilliant Celia Imrie makes you engage with the storyline. A feel good movie that left me with a smile on my face. I hope you like it.

Definitely not a comedy, but has funny moments, more romance than anything, well written and acted story. I wasn't disappointed.