Following the success of “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” which catapulted Noah Centineo to stardom and spawned sequels and a spinoff, the film’s producers have teamed up with Netflix once again to bring another romantic comedy to life, this time based on a wildly popular young adult novel.
While the title “Love at First Sight” might initially sound like another addition to Netflix’s array of reality dating shows, it’s actually a heartwarming film centered around missed connections and second chances. The movie stars Haley Lu Richardson (“The White Lotus”) and Ben Hardy (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), with a supporting cast boasting comedy talents like Rob Delaney (“Catastrophe”) and Sally Phillips (“Veep”).
In “Love at First Sight,” Richardson takes on the role of Hadley Sullivan, a nervous flyer en route from New York to London for her father’s wedding. As fate would have it, she strikes up a conversation with Oliver (played by Hardy), a Yale student originally from the UK, while waiting to board their transatlantic flight. The majority of the film’s first act unfolds during their seven-hour journey, during which they form a connection that defies the odds and sparks the question of whether they’re meant to be.
However, as is typical in romantic comedies, complications arise, and the plot conspires to separate Hadley and Oliver once they arrive in London. Will they find their way back to each other?
The movie draws its inspiration from Jennifer E. Williams’ 2013 young adult romance novel, “The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight.”
Adapting a book for the screen often involves the challenge of conveying characters’ inner thoughts, which are meticulously detailed on the page. “Love at First Sight” cleverly addresses this issue by introducing Jameela Jamil (“The Good Place”) as a flight attendant who breaks the fourth wall, serving as a narrator for Hadley and Oliver’s love story. This creative choice, which appears to be a departure from the novel’s first-person perspective, brings a fresh narrative dimension to the film. (Jamil’s voiceover in the trailer seems to pay homage to Hugh Grant’s opening monologue in the 2003 romcom “Love, Actually.”)
To uncover any other tweaks or changes made in the adaptation from page to screen, you’ll have to delve into the pages of the book.
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