About Fate

The BEST rom-coms have a dark edge ("Destination Wedding", "Meet Cute", "Always Be My Maybe", "Palm Springs", etc) but some with NO edge get by (just) on the 'charm' of their leads (without which they'd be Hallmark sludge)... like "About Fate". Emma Roberts & Thomas Mann are likeable twenty-something strangers who on New Years Eve Eve (warning: it's a festive movie) are SUPPOSED to get engaged to their respective ill-suited partners Lewis Tan & Madelaine Petsch... but 'fate' (or 'serendipity'? - no, THAT rom-com had more edge too) has other plans for this perfect pair. It's soft & schmaltzy fare, but for the right audience, it is passable.

This is not really a review, it should be taken more as a collection of impressions of the film.

I imagined a terrible, classic and very boring love film that also wanted to pass itself off as a comedy and instead I found a more than acceptable film that manages to entertain very well and even if it does not add anything to the now overcrowded genre of romantic comedies. The film is very good above all because it does not have many pretensions and even if it makes some classic slip in the usual dynamics of a poor romantic comedy, the film is still valid. Last small flaw, the ending is too slow and the film would have been better keeping the fast pace of the first part.

An old style movie without the presumption to be a "neorealism movie" like those that win awards but nobody watches. I really enjoyed it. In a world where people confuse feelings with suffering, illness and other "real" things, well, watching this movie is like fresh water. Acting is fine, the story is clear since the first scene but who cares? We all need to dream, to love, to connect with our heart without constantly thinking about our real problems. We all live our days surrounded by anger, poverty, inflation, Covid, cancer, war, toxic relationships and a movie like this (as in the past) is a blessing.

If romantic comedies are your thing, go for it. But if not, you might have a hard time with this one. Most romcoms are unrealistic, and this one certainly pushes the boundaries into fantasy land. Yet it retains and transmits an inherent sweetness that saves it, barely. I almost turned it off twice, once during the chance carriage encounter with the couple played by Ricardo Pitts-Wiley and Rose Weaver, and once during the scenes when Thomas Mann's Griffin meets Lewis Tan's Kip at the wedding. This would be a 3 or 4 if not for the convincing chemistry between Emma Robert's Margot and Thomas Mann's Griffin. These are two good actors, and they had chemistry on screen and conveyed an inherent kindness and positivity that saves the film and makes us walk away happy.

IN A NUTSHELL: This romantic comedy is a tale of two people who believe in love, but seem to never be able to find its true meaning. In a wild twist of events, fate puts each in the other's path on a stormy New Year's Eve, as comedy and chaos ensue.

The film was directed by Marius Vaysberg, and is based on the play "Happy Steam-Bathing! Once On A New Year's Eve." Apparently, this is an American remake of the Russian movie from 1975 called "The Irony of Fate or Enjoy Your Bath" which is considered to be a holiday classic there. Quite a few negative comments from that Russian cast have been made about this remake. Another remake was made in 2015 called I Love NY.

THINGS I LIKED: I like Emma Roberts and want her to do well in her career. Her famous aunt, Julia Roberts, must be proud.

The true standout of the cast, for me, is Thomas Mann. I'd like to see more of him. He's charming and humble and perfectly awkward. I thought he and Emma Roberts had good chemistry.

Other cast members include Britt Robertson, Lewis Tan, Cheryl Hines, Madelaine Petsch, and Wendie Malick.

I loved the orange candle trick during the wedding scene.

That carnation pink coat is pretty cute and meaningful in the story. I love it when details overlap in stories.

The last scene was super sweet.

The story is very cliched, but if you don't mind, you'll enjoy the goofy romance.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: I really like the actress Britt Robertson, who has played the leading lady in quite a few rom-coms of her own. Unfortunately, the character she plays in this movie is so self-absorbed and demanding that she is unlikeable.

Some of the dialogue is pretty lame.

All of the women in the movie are "EXTRA" and a bit psycho. The men are mostly clueless and incapable of handling their wacky women. None of the characters seem realistic at all.

Much of the humor doesn't land. Nothing made me laugh out loud.

The setup of the leading man accidentally ending up in the leading woman's bed because he thought it was his apartment is completely ridiculous. How did he get in? Didn't he recognize all of the different furniture?

There are so many rom-com tropes from other/better movies, making the movie entirely predictable.

The background music is super sentimental, telling you exactly how to feel at every moment.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Lots of alcohol and drunk people A woman is high Some kissing "Mild" profanity A fight scene between men

THEMES: Fate Romance & true love Forgiveness Breakups Wedding Being flexible Hope