IT’S A testimony to just how deep within the tedium of the pandemic we are that a movie like ‘Love, Guaranteed’ (2020) hasn’t been completely panned by viewers.
Clearly, we are longing for the utterly banal and Netflix’s latest is 90 minutes of cinematic “say no more”.
Starring Rachael Leigh Cook as broke but altruistic lawyer Susan and Damon Wayans Jr as Nick, a physical therapist with a broken heart of gold, the film ushers us into a PG version of the world of online dating.
After almost 1 000 dates via an online dating website called Love, Guaranteed, Nick plans to sue. Love, you see, is not guaranteed and the company is in breach of contract.
Naturally, his lawyer is the single and sweet Susan, who desperately needs a paying client to keep her water cooler gurgling, no matter how absurd their claim may be.
Though the plot could have included a far funnier montage of bad dates, dating lingo and the lay of the absolute wasteland that is the online dating scene, this decidedly chaste romantic comedy by numbers keeps the action strictly Hallmark.
Syrupy, devoid of any major conflict and revolving around characters who are likeable to a fault, ‘Love, Guaranteed’ plays out precisely as you anticipate it will while any real chemistry and character development is left for a better movie.
In case this is unclear, even for fans of the genre, this movie is not great.
The jury is doubtful about whether it’s even good but it is an easy watch for an evening when you’re doom-scrolling through your phone during a pandemic, you need some background blur and you’re keen to remember what it’s like to meet a cute stranger at a coffee cart.
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