The latest film from American writer and director Alex Magaña is the romantic comedy drama feature What Love Looks Like. It explores five separate stories regarding the ups and downs, ins and outs, and the ebb and flow of finding true romance.
Yes, five separate stories about ten different people. And each of these possesses perfectly good looks with cardboard cutout personalities to match. If one is going to show me a film about this many people, at least have me care or be invested in one of them. Just one.
At most, the painfully awkward Theodore (Jack Menzies) was the only name that I actually remembered. This was pertaining to his pose of confidence to the equally shy Bailey (Ana Ming Bostwick Singer), a pretty Asian-American girl in the park. This is due to them both sharing the same small breed of dog. Apparently, good karma was all it took to make a connection.
I find all of these characters somewhat likeable, but not relatable. They only seem to seek out whomever is attractive to what their upper-middle class society deems and nothing less. They're not snobbish, just shallow. And anyone who is not walkway attractive or in the same milieu is unseen throughout the runtime.
Owen (Josh Gilmer) is too obsessed with his phone to pay any attention to his girlfriend Nicole (Kate Durocher). Tinder-obsessed Calvin (Connor Wilkins) has a one-night stand with Summer (Jamie Shelnitz) but afterwards wants to leave for work. Finn (Kyle Meck) later flirts with English girl Penelope (Taylor Alexa Frank) in the park, despite what his younger sister thinks of him at home.
I'm not saying that these matters don't occur in reality. However, what is it that really sets these ten strangers apart from the rest of the crowd? Who is honestly seen as non-attractive according to these people? Well, there aren't any in this film, so that must imply something.
Other than that, I can't differentiate anything from these mid-twenty or thirty-something millennials in what makes them special. Every one of them is well-groomed eye candy; each professionally dressed or wearing whatever attire is "in" at the moment according to their demographic.
I also couldn't find a single thing of which to invest in these people. Every face, every apartment, every line of dialogue was forgettable in kowtowing to the feng shui of this particular universe.
Despite this, the most memorable (other than Theodore) were a handful of the supporting cast. Calvin's friend (or roommate) seemed to be the smooth, sarcastic type while Nicole's cool, charming club chauffer did a good job in portraying a brunette Ryan Gosling. At least the waiter smirking at catching Theodore's pose of confidence in the bathroom mirror was somewhat amusing.
Also, I literally thought that Sam (Nathan Kohnen) was a schizophrenic due to his wife appearing, disappearing and then re-appearing to comfort and console him. However, Sam seems to find solace in sharing some sandwiches with a beautiful girl named Evie (Ashley Rose McKenna) in the park, of whom had observed him and also wanted to make a connection.
Other than that, the main cast being either drop-dead handsome or gorgeous does not a good movie make.
Speaking of which, it is finally revealed that Sam's wife had just randomly passed away on the floor just after the couple had purchased a house. Unfortunately, her death is never explained or acknowledged to the audience because...script, I suppose.
Fortunately, the film does give a nod to classic cinema. This includes American Graffiti when one of the couples passes Mel's Drive-Thru. Another is a corny parody of Casablanca for a television rip-off that moves Theodore to tears. And obviously, Magaña is a fan of CSI: Miami.
What Love Looks Like is not what love looks like in reality. Perhaps in Beverly Hills, but not anywhere that I've seen. As the film wraps up, each character is either socially redeemed or gets the girl in the end of this squeaky-clean story. (Doesn't one wish that real life was like that?)
To be blunt, the characters are as two-dimensional as the fashion magazine of which they were probably cut out of. In that world, everything is pristine, perfected and pleasing to the eye. No one gets hurt, no one gets dirty and God forbid, no one gets cancer.
Everything is designed as how it was supposed to be shot...in a world of façades. As much as the manufacturer (or director) wants to dress something (or someone) up, all that matters at the end of the day is that if it will sell. As for me, it didn't.
This film could be considered the Magnolia of a Valentine's Day rom-com but without the nougat or caramel filling. Rather, it seems as though this nicely decorated box of chocolates had been shoved behind the packages of Easter rabbits before an employee had even noticed it.
Although a low-budget feature, this one really didn't do anything for me. If beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder according to the world of this film, then I would definitely want to remove myself from that world and return to real life altogether.
I believe that the imperfections others carry are really and honestly what makes someone beautiful in his/her own right. They may have their quirks or nuances or what have you, but at least it gives them depth and a personality.
Ultimately, you love them as they are for who they are...even if they didn't just step out from a photoshoot. That, to me, is what love looks like.
Yes, five separate stories about ten different people. And each of these possesses perfectly good looks with cardboard cutout personalities to match. If one is going to show me a film about this many people, at least have me care or be invested in one of them. Just one.
At most, the painfully awkward Theodore (Jack Menzies) was the only name that I actually remembered. This was pertaining to his pose of confidence to the equally shy Bailey (Ana Ming Bostwick Singer), a pretty Asian-American girl in the park. This is due to them both sharing the same small breed of dog. Apparently, good karma was all it took to make a connection.
I find all of these characters somewhat likeable, but not relatable. They only seem to seek out whomever is attractive to what their upper-middle class society deems and nothing less. They're not snobbish, just shallow. And anyone who is not walkway attractive or in the same milieu is unseen throughout the runtime.
Owen (Josh Gilmer) is too obsessed with his phone to pay any attention to his girlfriend Nicole (Kate Durocher). Tinder-obsessed Calvin (Connor Wilkins) has a one-night stand with Summer (Jamie Shelnitz) but afterwards wants to leave for work. Finn (Kyle Meck) later flirts with English girl Penelope (Taylor Alexa Frank) in the park, despite what his younger sister thinks of him at home.
I'm not saying that these matters don't occur in reality. However, what is it that really sets these ten strangers apart from the rest of the crowd? Who is honestly seen as non-attractive according to these people? Well, there aren't any in this film, so that must imply something.
Other than that, I can't differentiate anything from these mid-twenty or thirty-something millennials in what makes them special. Every one of them is well-groomed eye candy; each professionally dressed or wearing whatever attire is "in" at the moment according to their demographic.
I also couldn't find a single thing of which to invest in these people. Every face, every apartment, every line of dialogue was forgettable in kowtowing to the feng shui of this particular universe.
Despite this, the most memorable (other than Theodore) were a handful of the supporting cast. Calvin's friend (or roommate) seemed to be the smooth, sarcastic type while Nicole's cool, charming club chauffer did a good job in portraying a brunette Ryan Gosling. At least the waiter smirking at catching Theodore's pose of confidence in the bathroom mirror was somewhat amusing.
Also, I literally thought that Sam (Nathan Kohnen) was a schizophrenic due to his wife appearing, disappearing and then re-appearing to comfort and console him. However, Sam seems to find solace in sharing some sandwiches with a beautiful girl named Evie (Ashley Rose McKenna) in the park, of whom had observed him and also wanted to make a connection.
Other than that, the main cast being either drop-dead handsome or gorgeous does not a good movie make.
Speaking of which, it is finally revealed that Sam's wife had just randomly passed away on the floor just after the couple had purchased a house. Unfortunately, her death is never explained or acknowledged to the audience because...script, I suppose.
Fortunately, the film does give a nod to classic cinema. This includes American Graffiti when one of the couples passes Mel's Drive-Thru. Another is a corny parody of Casablanca for a television rip-off that moves Theodore to tears. And obviously, Magaña is a fan of CSI: Miami.
What Love Looks Like is not what love looks like in reality. Perhaps in Beverly Hills, but not anywhere that I've seen. As the film wraps up, each character is either socially redeemed or gets the girl in the end of this squeaky-clean story. (Doesn't one wish that real life was like that?)
To be blunt, the characters are as two-dimensional as the fashion magazine of which they were probably cut out of. In that world, everything is pristine, perfected and pleasing to the eye. No one gets hurt, no one gets dirty and God forbid, no one gets cancer.
Everything is designed as how it was supposed to be shot...in a world of façades. As much as the manufacturer (or director) wants to dress something (or someone) up, all that matters at the end of the day is that if it will sell. As for me, it didn't.
This film could be considered the Magnolia of a Valentine's Day rom-com but without the nougat or caramel filling. Rather, it seems as though this nicely decorated box of chocolates had been shoved behind the packages of Easter rabbits before an employee had even noticed it.
Although a low-budget feature, this one really didn't do anything for me. If beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder according to the world of this film, then I would definitely want to remove myself from that world and return to real life altogether.
I believe that the imperfections others carry are really and honestly what makes someone beautiful in his/her own right. They may have their quirks or nuances or what have you, but at least it gives them depth and a personality.
Ultimately, you love them as they are for who they are...even if they didn't just step out from a photoshoot. That, to me, is what love looks like.
