Technical assessment: 2.5
Moral assessment: 3
CINEMA rating: V13
MTRCB rating: PG
Natasha (Shahidi) a
no-nonsense Jamaican teenager aspiring to be a scientist is making a last ditch attempt to prevent her family from being deported the
following day. Meanwhile Daniel Bae (Melton), an American-Korean who dreams to
be a poet but needs to be a doctor to please his parents,
is scheduled for an interview in Dartmouth. The two cross paths
when Daniel saves Natasha from being run over by a car. The initially awkward
meeting turns into an opportunity for Daniel to prove to Natasha that he can
make her fall in love with him in an hour. The hour turns into a day and the
experiment becomes real as the two fall for
each other while learning and dealing with their family issues.
The premise of accidental
meeting between opposite strangers who find their stark differences cause the
inevitable pull into that “meant to be” situation is generally overused and
specifically uninspired in this version. The success of “accidental love”
relies on the naturally undeniable chemistry of the lovers achieved through a
down to earth relatable characterization. You feel them. You root for them.
Their presence makes you smile. This saccharine overdosed interpretation does
the opposite. You don’t believe them. Their presence makes you cringe. The use
of coincidence as a plot device is just too much even for those
willing to suspend disbelief for the sake of the remarkable performances of
Shahidi and Melton. The weak screenplay and weaker directorial choices are
further obscured by interjections of songs in the attempt to elevate the
gooeyness of the love story. While the original book offers debate about human
existence from philosophical and scientific explanation, the movie
simply makes these ornamental conversations.
There seems to be two strong
agendas in the film: the unjust predicaments of immigrants forcefully deprived
of their chance to be better on the one hand, and the racial
discrimination on the other. While Natasha believes that her future depends on
holding on to a foreign country she considers home, Daniel wears his Korean
ancestry with pride. It is very easy for this generation to stereotype success
with Western culture and with what is measurable. As if these hold the
exclusive franchise to all great things. But the movie
proves it wrong. Natasha accomplished something in Jamaica while
Daniel proved that he can be successful when he follows his passion. While the
movie is decent and charming, audiences predisposed to young romance will
find it enjoyable.--PMF
DIRECTOR: Ry Russo-Young; LEAD CAST: Yara Shanhidi, Charles
Melton; PRODUCER: Elysa Koplowitz Dutton, Leslie Morgenstein; SCREENWRITER: Tracy
Oliver; BASED ON: The Sun is Also A Star by Nicola
Yoon; MUSIC: Herdis Stefansdottir; GENRE: Romance; COUNTRY: USA; LANGUAGE:
English RUNNING TIME: 100 minutes
