My first impulse upon stumbling onto this was to wonder how I hadn't until now. It quite seems to me as though a movie starring Patrick Stewart AND Yancy Butler, both favorites of mine, should have crossed my radar sooner - let alone Jennifer Beals and Campbell Scott, and to say nothing of the fact that it comes to us from Eleanor Bergstein, who wrote essential 80s classic 'Dirty dancing.' Once we start watching, the choreography is lovely, and I like the original music and the assembled soundtrack; the hair and makeup artists mostly did fantastic work, and the costume designer. All the ingredients are here for a swell romantic drama, even if the thrust of the narrative is familiar. At the same time, it doesn't take long to start to feel as though something is a little off, and one begins to understand why 'Let it be me' hasn't been more visible. It's not that this is concretely bad, yet there are just enough peculiarities to weigh it down that it strains to achieve the heights that would really let it shine.
To be clear, the dancing really is terrific, and it's an especial joy to see these stars cut loose - in my opinion, Butler specifically, since she has tended to be in thrillers, action flicks, or horror titles more than features kin to this one. I think it's well made, with some fine ideas in the screenplay; we get some light comedy to complement more than enough drama to meaningfully propel the narrative. Matters become more murky from there, however, in too many ways. Each star in and themselves are a joy; it's not for nothing that I've singled out the players as having grabbed my attention, and we all know well what they're capable of. Here, unfortunately, by whatever set of circumstances, they just don't have any chemistry. They share scenes, but no heat; the passion is purely for pretend, and isn't felt by the audience, and I wonder if the cast felt it, either. As much as I always enjoy seeing Stewart anywhere I can, the B-plot here in which he figures is not integrated smoothly into the picture, and it comes across like an addition that was stitched on at the last minute to either emptily pad out the length, or lend further star power to the production. And speaking of Stewart, the decision to affix false hair to his brilliant noggin seems downright bizarre - a decision that's as off-putting as the near-identical hair styling for the two primary male actors (Scott and James Goodwin), as well as a supporting actor, all three of whom already look quite alike as it is.
Too many scenes, too much dialogue, and a lot of the plot development feels rushed, and kind of hollow. In addition to that dubious B-plot, there are other story ideas that are broached too curtly or incompletely. In the broadest of strokes the writing is just fine in every regard, and satisfying; I'm happy to say it even breaks free to some small degree of what seems like perfect predictability. Yet it never feels entirely balanced. For all this, 'Let it be me' never achieves any substantial spark, neither one that is identifiable relative to this film alone, nor in comparison to Bergstein's major claim to fame. For all this, the levity and the more serious moments alike rarely feel heartfelt and impactful as much as merely awkward. Ninety minutes somehow feel too long.
Please understand, I do actually like this! I'm glad that I watched, and I had a good time. It's pleasant, and ultimately warmhearted; I appreciate the work that everyone put into it, and to reiterate, the cast are a delight by one means or another. Only - nothing comes together the way that it should. If ever there was a title that felt like Swiss cheese, at once technically whole yet also less than, I'm not sure there could be a better example. I'd love to say that I like this more than I do - I want with all my heart to speak more positively of it - but still the end result struggles to rise above "average." There is, after all, a reason I've not really found out about this except by happenstance. It's not a bad way to spend ninety minutes, and if you're a diehard fan of someone involved it might still earn a recommendation more than not. All the same, it's so uneven, and perhaps undercooked despite generally capable craftsmanship, that it's hard to particularly suggest it otherwise. Don't go out of your way, and save it for a lazy day, and maybe 'Let it be me' will fit the bill just so. Do also temper your expectations, however.
