Une nouvelle chance

It is COVID-19 "stay at home time" so I watched this on YouTube free streaming movies. I became a Highmore fan for the movie "August Rush" and more recently have been enjoying him in the TV series "The Good Doctor" where he plays a young surgeon with autism.

Here Freddie Highmore is Charlie, working in a Mobile Alabama movie house mostly manning the concession stand. He is wise and a talented up-and-coming chef but is stuck, unmotivated, perhaps traced to an automobile accident he was in not many years ago.

He encounters a pretty girl working at the coffee shop but is too timid to have a conversation with her, and certainly not to ask her out. Besides her boyfriend is the local track star.

I would describe this as a "soft" movie, there are several scenes where characters just couldn't, or wouldn't, express what is actually going on with them. It is mainly about Charlie's coming to grips with his lack of trajectory in life and finally deciding to do something about it. The coffee house girl is an important part of that as it causes him to realize some things he was suppressing.

Not a great movie, mostly forgettable, but a good watch for those of us who enjoy Highmore.

A few minutes in and you'll probably figure out how the movie is gonna end; an awkward, shy yet talented teen has a crush on the pretty girl who's dating the high school athlete but is starting to realize he might just not be the one. But they're not teens, nor in high school, they're in their mid 20's; and despite the predictability, they did try to add in a few more bits to make it a bit more fascinating, it didn't work as well as they probably wanted it to but I'm glad they did it. I think it's one of those movies were you already know how it's gonna go but can still enjoy it, if you let yourself.

I watched it because I kept seeing this quote for a while now: "You know what's strange about you? On one hand you're painfully shy, and on the other hand you say these things that I don't think I could ever say." and knew it was from this movie so it was just one of those things I really wanna watch but kept postponing. Yes it's not as good as I thought it was gonna be, in spite of that I still like it. It's close to being good. I don't think it's gonna have you rolling in your emotions, butterflies and all; but if you just wanna sit down, relax and watch a romcom with your brain shut off, this is not a bad way to spend your afternoon.

I'd like to see a followup to this sobering charmful character story. I think what makes the main character endearing is his propensity for honesty. He shows a child like willingness to put him self out there and reach out for the person, who will be the one to bring out a desire to ask more of himself. She reminds him that he's worthy of the pursuit of asking more of himself. He learns that to have the one he wants, he has to do himself a favor and become the person he wants to be. Until he does, the one cares about the most won't be able to pursue him wholeheartedly. I hope to see a sequel that will show his career unfolding and hopefully a further developing romance.

This film tells the story of a shy teen man, who decides to approach the local coffee shop girl who has a boyfriend already.

"Almost Friends" is sweet and relatable, and the characters are sympathetic and likable as well. However, it is just not very memorable, and does not stand out or touch people's hearts. It is good for brain off entertainment, but it does not offer much more than that.

Solid rom-com that was kind of predicable but had some sparks for what I would call a teen film. This film will have you rooting for the underdog.