Cast: Madeline Klein, KJ Apa, Sophia Wylie, Madison Thompson, Orlando Norman, Josh Lucas

Written By: Vera Herbert and Les Bohem, based on the novel by JP Monninger

Directed By: Lasse hallstrom

Original Score By: Sarah Trevino

Release Year: 2025

Studio/Streamer: Amazon

Runtime: 96 minutes

Audio Description Produced By: (Need Credit)

Written By: (need Credit)

Narrated By: (Need credit)

What is it?: A young woman (Klein) on vacation in Europe has her trajectory changed when she finds herself connected to a Brit (Apa) who lives in the now, and has no plans for the future. But as her time spent across the pond winds down, she hopes she’s done enough to change his mind. However, his reasons may be bigger than she thought.

What Works/What Doesn’t Work: Let’s call the spade a spade. This is a deeply generic romantic drama, and one that already feels like a film released just a month ago. It can’t even call itself a star vehicle, as Klein isn’t a big enough star to warrant her own starring vehicle, and Apa has let his star fall a bit since Riverdale. It is this paint by numbers thing that someone should be embarrassed they originally sourced as a novel. Congratulations on writing what everyone else is writing. I’m sure as a kid, that was your dream, to be lost among the sea of books.

I’m actually oddly troubled that Lasse Hallstrom is directing this. Do we need a Go Fund me? I actually watched this a second time, to see if there was some artistic merit I had missed. I did kind of check out the first time through, because it was so predictable, and deeply mediocre. Then the credits roll, and i hear “directed by Lasse Hallstrom”, and I’m left scratching my head.

I’m not saying Hallstrom is a flawless director or anything, but he is an Oscar nominated director, fondly remembered for his breakthrough My Life As A Dog, and later his Hollywood releases like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, and Hachi. Even his lesser appreciated work, like The Hundred Foot Journey or A Dog’s Purpose are still realy watchable. So, how did he get stuck with this project so late in his career? There isn’t one aspect of this that suggests an Oscar nominated director helmed it. It is as generic as it can possibly be.

How did Lasse Hallstrom come to direct something that a fresh faced debut right out of film school could have pulled off? Did he elevate it? not really. For a film that feels deeply derivative, I suppose he kept the boat from totally sinking, but he’s such a capable director there’s no reason this couldn’t have been a sleeper hit for Amazon. Better casting, better crew, better writing, and Lasse not being asleep at the wheel is all it needed. A Map That Leads To you needed a map that lead to creative freedom, distancing itself from the tried and true formula, and allowing Hallstrom a glimmer of uniqueness to hold onto. Instead, we have an Oscar nominated director doing a generic streaming release.

He certainly isn’t the first director I’ve scratched my head at. I remember seeing Mark Waters digging in the dirt on Netflix, as well as Richard Lagravanese. I’m now dreading the real possibility that talent we once saw as promising and groundbreaking are just a paycheck away from Sadie Steals Spain or The Italian Prince, or whatever boring American headed to Europe film gets created next. Is this the future for Spike Jones? michel Gondry?

If hallstrom is going to direct generic crap, it is his duty to elevate it, and he didn’t really do that here. All he did was keep a ship that was filling with water afloat. But, those kinds of ships aren’t sea worthy, as they still are waterlogged, and this movie is still a mirror image of the 500 movies that came before it. It offers nothing new or inspired, it is just slightly better helmed than some others.

The Audio Description: you would think after two times through I’d have bolder thoughts, but I’ll let the AD team in on a little secret. there are two reasons the streamers populate with these projects. The first being that they are typically easy to make, and the second is that audiences tune in to live vicariously through these characters galavanting about Europe. Not everyone gets to go, so sometimes it’s fun to see the on location filming. The audio description track did a lovely job with character work, but the studio is pushing out these films not because they are great literary works, but their accessibility allows for Americans trapped on the couch to imagine themselves abroad, with a hot young European man who looks a heck of a lot more fit than their partner. If you think we keep paying to send Stanley Tucci to Italy for any reason other than people enjoying looking at Italy, then it begs the question of what do you think they are doing it for?

Why You Might Like it: You love these generic romances, much like how Hallmark has secretly been making the same movie on the same set for ten years and you haven’t noticed yet because they change the name and actors.

Why You Might Not Like it: because now you know Lasse Hallstrom is directing, it is just really fucking depressing.

Final thoughts: I don’t know if Lasse Hallstrom owes money to a shifty individual, but if he’s going to sign onto projects beneath him, the very least he could do is pretend to care about the film he’s making, and give it the same attention he did for the work that made him an Oscar nominee.

Rotten: 5.8/10