One True Loves was a film I knew very little about prior to watching it, having never heard of the novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I knew it was a romance film based on the poster, but once the film began I was completely pulled into the story; it was refreshing to not only see a different kind of love story, but seeing interracial relationships and not having it be a major plot point. It also features a terrific trio of lead characters in Phillipa Soo, Simu Liu, and Luke Bracey who are all the heart of this wonderful film.
The Plot
The film introduces us to our three lead characters as they are about to finish high school: Emma, Sam, and Jesse. Emma and Sam are best friends, with Sam being in love with Emma and Emma ended up with Jesse. Emma and Jesse are in a relationship through college and into adulthood, traveling the world together for work (Emma is a writer and Jesse is a photographer).
After they get married and a year passes, Jesse gets the opportunity to travel to Alaska to work on a documentary. Unfortunately, his helicopter crashes and he is presumed dead. Emma goes through a period of grief for three years when she reconnects with Sam. The two not only begin a relationship, they get engaged as well and are truly happy together. Everything changes when Emma receives a phone call from Jesse: he’s been stranded on an island for four years and is coming home to be with her.
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The Critique
The biggest critique I can give this film is the editing; it’s not bad, it just made the story a little hard to follow at times. Sometimes there were flashbacks and flashforwards that took a minute to catch on to, but once you figure out which is which it comes together. The story itself is an unconventional love story, so I’m sure that alone made the editing challenging.
Phillipa Soo is absolutely wonderful as Emma; if you’ve watched Hamilton on Disney+, you know she can truly act as Eliza. She’s really given a great opportunity in this film for dramatic and comedic moments and does them both with ease. She also has terrific chemistry with Simu Liu and Luke Bracey, which is great because of her being romantically involved with both of them. I also loved how Emma being in love with both Jesse and Sam shows that she doesn’t have a type and loves someone for who they are.
Simu Liu is terrific as Sam, having cemented his star status with his breakout role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. However, he gets to draw on his comedic acting experience from his days on the Canadian sitcom Kim’s Convenience. Sam is a terrific person; he loves Emma with all his heart but understands and supports that part of her heart belongs to Jesse. It’s truly heartbreaking to see him deal with his feelings when Jesse returns, but the way that he processes it all is one of the highlights of the film.
Luke Bracey gives a great performance as well as Jesse, who unfortunately finds himself in a situation similar to Tom Hanks in Cast Away. The love of his life has moved on to new love when all he wanted to do is make it back home to Emma. It works out for everyone in the end, but the journey there has its ups and downs. I wasn’t too familiar with Luke Bracey’s work prior to this film, but it makes me want to seek out some of his other films.
In Conclusion
Overall, I would recommend checking out One True Loves when it arrives in theaters April 7th and on digital April 14th. It’s a nice change of pace from all of the blockbusters out right now and brings something new to the romance genre. All of that combined with a terrific trio of leads and great direction from Andy Fickman (She’s the Man) makes for a charming, heartfelt film that you’ll want to revisit again.
Rating: 8/10
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