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2 Hearts

Silver Lion Films

Directed by Lance Hool

Starring Radha Mitchell, Tiera Skovbye, Jacob Elordi, Kari Matchett and Adan Canto

Rated PG-13

 

2 Stars

 

The new movie romance 2 Hearts isn’t very good.

The acting is unimpressive and the screenplay is predictable. Despite all of this, I liked the movie. My heart overruled my head with this film, and I suspect it will be the same for audiences that enjoy movies that tug at your emotions.

Yes, that means this film made me cry.

As you might guess from the title, 2 Hearts is actually two love stories that don’t really intersect until the end of the film. In the first story, a charming Cuban businessman (Adan Canto) falls for an airline attendant (Radha Mitchell) and proceeds to woo her despite opposition from his family.

The second story follows an aimless college student (Jacob Elordi) who finds his purpose in life when he meets another student (Tiera Skovbye) who is on a mission to make the world a better place.

Both of these stories feature good looking and slightly-flawed men whose lives are greatly improved when they meet gorgeous, already-perfect women who quickly fall for their charms. It’s a fairytale romance, where Prince Charming meets Princess Perfect and the two couples set off on what seems destined to be their happily ever after endings.

Since that would make for a boring movie, complication arise. I won’t spoil anything here, although the final third of the movie is easy to predict. I’d say that it’s bad story plotting, but the film is quick to point out that 2 Hearts is based on a true story.

That doesn’t mean much by Hollywood standards, other than the film’s basic elements are probably true.

Once again, despite knowing what was coming in the film’s final act, I still found myself tearing up. Despite the mediocre writing, I found myself caring about these characters and hoped everything would turn out for the best.

2 Hearts is produced by a company that has done some faith-based films in the past, and the film could easily be a religious story if not for some occasional profanity, drug and alcohol overuse and the implication of premarital sex.

That automatically makes it a PG-13 level story, even though the story’s heart is PG at the most.

I suspect that most critics will dogpile on this film. They will have ample ammunition for their critiques. I prefer to look at it from the audience point of view. Film-snobs won’t risk going to movie theaters for something as basic as 2 Hearts.

I’m not sure that audiences who like weepy romances will attend either.

But I can certainly see the appeal of curling up on your couch with someone you love, and a big box of tissues. 2 Hearts may not be a great movie, but sometimes a good cry is just what the doctor ordered.

 

Movie reviews by Sean McBride, “The Movie Guy,” are published each week in by Port Arthur Newsmedia and seen weekly on KFDM and Fox4. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@sbgtv.com.