#cora kirk

[rosesgray]

Lulu’s 24 Days of Christmas - Day 9

Your Christmas or Mine? (2022)

[ryansreviews]

Finding Emily: Review

When Harry Met Manny

A ton of iconic rom-coms have been set in the UK’s capital city, so much so that London has become synonymous with romance and Hugh Grant stammering through a declaration of love. However, less love has been doled out to the city of Manchester - until now that is. Acting as both a love letter to the city - it’s lead character is the spitting image of young Liam Gallagher - and an intelligent, funny film in it’s own right, Finding Emily is one of the brightest rom-com discoveries in years.

Our lovelorn protagonist is Owen (Spike Fearn), a sound engineer working at Manchester Uni’s student union. After a magical club night spent with a student known as ‘Emily’ (Ella Maisy Purvis), he wakes up the next morning to find that the number she gave him is missing a digit. Desperate to locate who he thinks is his dream girl, he plasters posters around the campus, eventually crossing paths with another Emily (Angourie Rice), a psychology student who just happens to be writing a thesis about love being a route to self-sabotage. Deciding that Owen would be the perfect subject for her project, Emily decides to offer help with his romantic mission - crossing a few ethical and romantic lines in the process. 

There won’t be any prizes for guessing where this one is going, but thankfully, the journey to get there is an absolute delight. From first-time director Alicia MacDonald, this plays out like a modern mix of When Harry Met Sally and Rye Lane, focussing on the clash between two very different perspectives on love - he the hopeless romantic who says ‘time stands still’ during a meet-cute, and she the sceptic whose difficulties with romance lead to a more clinical approach. 

With a winning script from Rachel Hirons, this has plenty of big laughs, especially as Owen’s misguided search for his lost love becomes viral on the student campus - for both good and bad reasons. There’s a great set piece where a panicked Owen is surrounded by the 318 chattering Emily’s he accidentally adds to an email chain, as well as an excruciating podcast interview televised for the University. Alongside a soundtrack full of bangers, it’s also graced by a great supporting cast, including Minnie Driver as a very unbothered principle, and Cora Kirk as Emily’s brutally honest BFF.

The film does give way to typical rom-com cliches, including final act sprints to confess feelings, and some slightly underwritten backstories. But despite a plot that becomes growingly ridiculous, this is given freshness by the chemistry between its two leads, and a real sense of grit and realness to its characters. Rice does a commendable job of making Emily, whose actions border on villainous, into an appealing character whose motivations you can understand. And after a run of feature roles in big films, Fearn capably carries the film as a refreshingly different and gawkishly charming leading man. His Owen is a scrappy and endearingly hopeless character who you’ll root for despite his reckless decision-making. Manchester may have found its answer to Hugh Grant.

With a star-making lead performance from Spike Fearn, this is a sweet and frequently hilarious romantic comedy that hopefully won’t take you too long to find.

★★★★

[allthesepurplelights]

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

[screenshothaven]

Midsomer Murders (Series 23)

[mndvx]

[vivian-bell]

The truth is, as much as I wanted to be here with Hayley, an even bigger part of me just wanted a proper family Christmas again.

Your Christmas or Mine? dir. Jim O’Hanlon

[sweetcritique]

Movie Review: Your Christmas or Mine 2?

The original is from last year which was a fun movie, although the couple didn't spend much tome together, the premise was cute.  In this movie, the separation was a mix up with the reservation, so most of the group stayed in a posh hotel suit while the other four stayed in a ... well it was very stable-like.  The bathroom was an actual hole in the ground.  😳

The ring Hayley finds is not James proposing to her but his dad proposing to Diane. (And when Hayley drops is from the third floor balcony, into the snow... well, not sure the hell she would find it... movie magic!)

It's good that they were only separated from each other for one night.  But that's how the misunderstanding about the found ring happens and it ... snowballs (snerk) from there.  The heated conversation between Hayley and James was very rough, so much projecting from Hayley and very little listening.  It didn't help that James was so drunk, but, I feel like she needed to take a moment to hear him, but she allowed her scared and hurt feelings to overshadow everything.

Best airplane stopping ever, with the goat.

Fave Dialog: Nothing gets properly fixed on the wrong side of midnight.

🎄