Summary
The only thing more annoying than Jamil’s voiceover is her constant on-screen appearances as different strangers while breaking the fourth wall. It’s frustrating because this could have been an excellent romance film.
The straight-to-Netflix Love at First Sight is an adaptation of Jennifer E. Smith’s best-selling novel, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. Written by Katie Lovejoy and directed by Vanessa Caswill, this cheesy rom-com stars The White Lotus’s Haley Lu Richardson as a 20-something NYU student who meets the love of her life thanks to a missed flight.
Love at First Sight starts by introducing our heroine, Hadley (Haley Lu Richardson), as she’s desperately trying to make her flight from JFK airport to London. We know it’s the 20th of December because the narrator (Jameela Jamil) told us so.
This narrator is seen and heard throughout the movie almost as much as the two leads. She plays no part in the story. Her sole purpose is to explain what’s happening on screen. (Viewers who are scrolling and streaming might find that useful).
After missing her flight (by a mere 4 minutes), Hadley meets and hits it off with Yale student and statistics enthusiast Oliver (Ben Hardy). A broken seatbelt and a bit of help from Jameela Jamil have the two sat next to each other for the whole flight.
They talk about Hadley’s father and his upcoming wedding, Oliver’s family and his mother’s ongoing cancer battle, and, of course, their hopes, dreams, and fears.
In London, they’re forced to go to separate passport control queues, and Hadley’s phone battery dies before she’s able to save Oliver’s number. But as chance would have it, the pair still finds a way to connect.
The film isn’t without charm. It’s got a compelling story and two magnetic leads to root for, played by two actors with palpable on-screen chemistry.
While Love at First Sight is a formulaic and predictable romantic comedy, it’s also surprisingly emotional. However, every time the movie manages to draw and engage the viewer, it’s interrupted by Jameela Jamil’s annoying, relentless, and patronizing voiceover.
The only thing more annoying than Jamil’s voiceover is her constant on-screen appearances as different strangers while breaking the fourth wall. It’s frustrating because this could have been an excellent romance film.
The film is certainly worth watching for Richardson and Hardy’s performances alone. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel, and there are plenty of endearing scenes for fans of the genre.
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