The Broken Hearts Gallery

In a time when all movies seem to have a dark edge this was a cute fun time for a Saturday night alone.

The Broken Hearts Gallery is the cinematic equivalent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich; it doesn't have a lot of substance and it's nothing you haven't tasted before, but it's good, it's comforting, and it's sweet.

The two lead actors have a lot of fun chemistry and they bounce off each other very nicely. The plot is full of overused tropes and conveniences but everything is executed in such a way that it's still a great deal of fun to watch.

This film takes familiar ingredients and mixes them together to create something that's just above-average and is never dull. The line delivery and jokes are sharp and witty and this is an entertaining, if slightly forgettable, film that I'd say is worth a watch if you're into the rom-com genre.

This could easily be the type of rom-com that 15 years from now people look back at and try to understand why it didn't get the credit it deserved. The pandemic certainly didn't help but if this film would have dropped on Netflix instead, I imagine it having the sort of pop up publicity that Set it Up did a few years back over the course of a few weeks. It's unique and heartwarming, that's all I look for in romance films these days.

7.4/10.

The reviews are very mixed, so I guess it's a hit or miss and you can just get that from the trailer. To me, the movie wasn't bad but it's also not something I'd watch again. I liked the concept, it was unique and the little things they held back to reveal later were good too but the chemistry was just off. At some points, the connection felt forced. The supporting characters did a better job than the lead here. The movie has a lot of representation and is very New York-esque, and they just naturally fit it (the best part).

The character Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan) is not relatable or even something you can pass off as lovable, she's ditzy in the annoying kind of way and Nick (Dacre Montgomery) looks like he had a gun to his temple to shoot this. With different characters playing the lead, the movie would have turned out so much better. It's not an OMG kind of funny, it's an eye-roll kind of funny.

I really enjoyed this film and to be honest the romantic aspect was not even the most important aspect of it. Unlike most romcoms, the female lead's passion is actually believable and connected with the plot (most romcoms have a simple line where the lead claims to love fashion design, etc). The actress is incredibly charismatic and reminded me of lots of interesting women I have met in my life. She felt like more than a stereotype. The love for art as a means for healing, expression and specially oddness came through in the film. It felt refreshing and, again, I would have enjoyed this film just as much if it hadn't had a love story. I was really rooting for Lucy to open her gallery and succeed in the artistic world.

The film is quirky, lovable and feels authentic in ways that most romcoms can't accomplish. For a similar type of film, quirky, with strong female friendships and celebrating the very genuine love that young women can feel for art (or music), I recommend Mixtape (on Netflix).

As a woman, both films feel *refreshingly* respectful.