Review of About Fate

The BEST rom-coms have a dark edge ("Destination Wedding", "Meet Cute", "Always Be My Maybe", "Palm Springs", etc) but some with NO edge get by (just) on the 'charm' of their leads (without which they'd be Hallmark sludge)... like "About Fate". Emma Roberts & Thomas Mann are likeable twenty-something strangers who on New Years Eve Eve (warning: it's a festive movie) are SUPPOSED to get engaged to their respective ill-suited partners Lewis Tan & Madelaine Petsch... but 'fate' (or 'serendipity'? - no, THAT rom-com had more edge too) has other plans for this perfect pair. It's soft & schmaltzy fare, but for the right audience, it is passable.