Summary
This interactive rom-com will let you create your own storyline and ending — it’s a stepping stone for this unique storytelling and playfully engaging.
Here is our review of the 2023 Netflix interactive movie Choose Love, which does not contain significant spoilers.
Choose Love is the first-ever interactive rom-com on the streaming giant Netflix. The platform is always looking for ways to engage its audiences and stand out from its competitors and has previously had interactive specials such as You Vs. Wild, the game show Triviaverse, and the ever-popular Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.
This film is directed by Stuart McDonald and stars Laura Marano, Avan Jogia, Scott Michael Foster, and Jordi Webber.
Previous interactive specials have been met with mixed reviews from audiences and critics alike. Some say it’s a revolutionary way of viewing, and others say it becomes tedious, and the novelty wears off quickly.
Choose Love Review and Plot Summary
With interactive films you are not the typical passive viewer being fed a story, you have to actively engage and navigate the storyline. In this film you, the viewer, can choose the ending. This is fitting as our lead protagonist Cami is in a dilemma.
Cami, a recording engineer with a steady boyfriend, has a number of suitors after her, and she must choose only one. There’s the steady boyfriend, the one who got away, and the charming rock star. All sound like promising choices, so which one will you choose?
It’s hard to really review an interactive special because each time watching is a different subjective experience. What I can say is that usually, the same thing happens when watching an interactive film — I get bored and distracted and end up either disengaging or not caring about my choices.
However, with Choose Love, I was pleasantly surprised! The way in which the choices are given is almost as if the protagonist is looking for advice, so it doesn’t feel as disconnected as previous interactive shows.
Breaking the fourth wall helps bring the audience in, making you feel more involved when making a choice for Cami. The film only becomes slightly annoying and repetitive when you’re finally choosing the ending, as you have to go back and re-watch scenes in order to make an alternative choice. This gets boring, fast.
The characters are well-written; you care for them, and they’re all easily likable, so you understand Cami’s dilemmas. The storyline is simple and predictable, which makes your choices easy. The acting is on point; it wasn’t too cheesy or overplayed.
The choices start right away, with the first one being within the first five minutes. If you pause the film, you can undo your last choice, so don’t worry, you do not have to watch the film multiple times to see the effects of the different choices you make.
Examples of choices you can make range from choosing how Cami reacts when participating in a friendly game night, to whether she should go to lunch with her ex.
There are roughly twenty+ choices throughout the film which feels like an appropriate amount. If you don’t make a choice it will pick one for you and carry on, it will not pause, so don’t leave your screens.
Is Choose Love good or bad?
It’s good. If you can get on board with interactive films, this is a one-of-a-kind. (until the next one) It’s playful, and engaging and teaches audiences that it is fun not knowing how things end, and that’s a sweet message to take away.
Is Choose Love worth watching?
Yes. The film makes its audiences think about their choices and their outcomes. It’s a story of self-discovery, and with the help of an audience, Cami can have the perfect ending. Also, it has a short runtime of one hour and seventeen minutes, but this is longer when you choose to explore the different endings. I was watching for almost two hours.
What did you think of the 2023 Netflix interactive movie Choose Love? Comment below.
