Watching a very good rom-com ought to be like “finding hope in a big mess.” In “Lonely Planet,” Netflix’s newest romance, 30-something Owen Brophy (Liam Hemsworth) believes the identical sentiment applies to his Moroccan tryst with 50-something Elizabeth Lowe (Laura Dern). Inside this paradigm, romance is meant to be the antidote to the sophisticated realities of life; nonetheless, like with love, the fantasy of what may very well be doesn’t typically match actuality as is.
The fact is that nowadays, rom-coms themselves are sometimes extra messy than hopeful. They usually aren’t the endearing sort of mess that makes a number one love curiosity extra relatable or a fated relationship really feel extra attainable.
As a substitute, the style is muddled with low-budget, underwritten cable clichés (Hallmark’s new lineup of vacation motion pictures will start to air this week) and higher-budget, overproduced tales that simply aren’t that good. A few of this yr’s largest rom-coms within the latter class have additionally featured an age hole, like Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine of their underwhelming adaptation of “The Idea of You” for Prime Video and Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron of their generic Netflix movie “A Family Affair.”
Whereas Dern and Hemsworth are the newest massive names to hitch this pattern, their film stands out as the most effective of streaming’s latest age-gap romances as a result of it engenders extra hope than mess (despite the fact that it’s positively nonetheless a bit messy).
The movie, written and directed by Susannah Grant, takes place throughout a world author’s retreat exterior Marrakech at a shocking lodge with picturesque patios overlooking the Atlas Mountains. Elizabeth, a best-selling novelist in an undefined style, arrives for the retreat post-breakup and on deadline. Owen, a finance bro, is current as a plus one. His girlfriend, Lily Kemp (Diana Silvers), is a brand new author whose first guide, a “glorified beach read,” hit the bestseller record and catapulted her profession to a degree that led to her invitation to this retreat, and she or he’s nonetheless inexperienced sufficient to convey her boyfriend alongside.
Whereas Elizabeth is simply there for house and time to complete her guide, Lily is there to community and discover a brand new nation. Owen isn’t fairly certain why he agreed to go. He doesn’t love touring. “People always say it’s going to be this transformative experience, you know. Go to a new, exotic place. Meet the new, exotic you. But you get there, and you’re not new or exotic. You’re just you,” he laments to Elizabeth throughout certainly one of their early interactions set in opposition to the blue-painted partitions of Chefchaouen.
“That’s true,” Elizabeth says with an air of writer-ly knowledge earlier than quoting French novelist Gustave Flaubert, who stated, “The point of travel was to make us modest.”
There isn’t a lot modesty about “Lonely Planet.” Like “The Idea of You” and “A Perfect Marriage,” it takes place inside an inaccessible world of privilege. The characters aren’t boyband members or film stars, however they’re profitable, celebrated writers being handled to an unique and opulent all-expense paid trip in North Africa.
Nevertheless, in contrast to these movies that happen inside a heightened actuality of fame and give attention to the intersectionality of motherhood and sexuality and parenthood and independence, “Lonely Planet” separates itself fully from these subjects. Elizabeth — so far as the viewer is aware of — doesn’t have youngsters, and the film doesn’t even instantly deal with the age hole between the 2 characters, despite the fact that the two-and-a-half many years that separate them might be the largest hole of the three.
The result’s that, in contrast to the escapist trip the film portrays, it in some way manages to really feel extra actual than its counterparts. Whereas only a few specifics are revealed about Owen or Elizabeth’s lives, the conversations they share whereas attending to know one another gasoline their muted infatuation in a sensible method. Their banter — typically pressured, typically clunky, typically intelligent — is imperfect in a method that feels possible, as do their edited self-descriptions of the messy components of their lives. Elizabeth’s ex-partner stated she wasn’t a loving individual price sharing a life with, and Owen unhappily works in finance to make offers for bosses who aren’t reliable.
Like two folks assembly for the primary time, Owen and Elizabeth curate what and the way a lot of themselves to disclose. With every surprising encounter, alternate of phrases and shared commiserating look, their relationship progresses from new acquaintances to informal pals to allies amongst a literary crowd they select not to slot in with. Moreover, between their age hole and the presence of Owen’s girlfriend, a romantic relationship isn’t inevitable and even possible.
Their relationship may very well be merely outlined as surprising pals. Whereas supportive of one another when thrown collectively on a visit, they don’t have the chemical propulsion which means they need to turn out to be lovers. So when Owen and Lily’s relationship predictably cracks as a result of she is outgrowing it and he doesn’t know who she is anymore, it’s not due to Elizabeth. However their separation opens the door for her despite the fact that it’s not a door she has to step by way of.
However, I’m glad she does. Dern and Hemsworth have unexpectedly intriguing chemistry, and it was enjoyable to see them go away the confines of the retreat to discover Morocco. The attractive and curated settings of an space that seems much less ceaselessly on display supply a enjoyable escape for the viewer.
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It’s additionally refreshing to see an age-gap love story the place the older companion truly seems to be considerably older. Whereas Dern is characteristically stylish and beautiful in her position, she can be visibly older than Hemsworth’s character, despite the fact that this distinction and what it means for any shared future isn’t addressed.
Whereas the avoidance of the realities that await them at house is plausible when attending to know one another as strangers thrown collectively for a glorified trip, the ignorance they share after they embark on their tryst all through Morocco is much less plausible, revealing larger plot holes and an absence of character growth that overwhelm the ultimate quarter of the film. Are they two characters sharing a life-changing, short-lived romance, or two characters headed towards a shared future? The reply is unclear.
These shortcomings turn out to be probably the most pronounced within the film’s climax and backbone, which I gained’t spoil, however they’re underwhelming, and the ending of the film feels inconsistent because of this.
Nevertheless, regardless of these weaknesses, I nonetheless loved watching “Lonely Planet” greater than both of the age-gap motion pictures that preceded it. Whereas it’s not a novel addition to the rom-com style, it’s not a complete mess, and that alone makes it stand out among the many unhappy state of the rom-com style in the present day. One might even argue that there’s sufficient that feels completely different to spark hope in a future with higher rom-coms, not less than higher age-gap ones.
