Trust the Dice: Falling Inn Love (2019)

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Falling Inn Love (2019)

Movie Name/Year: Falling Inn Love (2019)

Genre: Romance, Comedy

Length: 98 minutes

Rating: TV-PG

Production/Distribution: Netflix

Director: Roger Kumble

Writers: Elizabeth Hackett, Hilary Galanoy

Actors: Adam Demos, Anna Jullienne, Blair Strang, Christina Milian, Claire Chitham, Daniel Watterson, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Jonathan Martin, Lucy Wigmore, Simone Walker, William Walker

Blurb from IMDb: When city girl Gabriela spontaneously enters a contest and wins a rustic New Zealand inn, she teams up with bighearted contractor Jake Taylor to fix and flip it.

Cat’s Point of View:

When I first saw this rom-com title on Netflix’s ‘coming soon’ promotion, I had a feeling that the movie was going to be a cheesy fluff piece – that, or something like you’d find on the Hallmark Channel or Lifetime.

I am pleased to let you know that some humble pie is in order because the overall experience of the film far exceeded my expectations. There’s that saying about covers of books, after all. We can’t help first impressions, though. I digress.

Falling Inn Love gave me all sorts of warm fuzzy feelings that weren’t directly attached to what was going on on-screen. Why? The simple answer is nostalgia. As I watched this adventurous international tale unfold, I was reminded of another movie very near and dear to my heart – The Money Pit (1986).

The story of Christina Milian’s (Baggage Claim, Grandfathered, The Oath) character, at its core, is quite similar to the plot of the 80’s classic. Though, instead of raccoon mayhem, there are goats! That being said, it’s doubtful that this movie was intended to be a remake. It wouldn’t be Milian’s first time recapturing the magic of an 80’s tale. This time, however, I believe that the similarities are intended to be an homage rather than a re-telling.

Even though elements within the film weren’t exactly original and there were plenty of recognizable tropes common to the rom-com recipe, there was still a spark within the tale that made it feel fresh. I really enjoyed the modern empowered woman spin, as well as the environmentally conscious aspects of the narrative. I appreciated Milian’s character’s journey, and really enjoyed the banter and chemistry between the movie’s leads.

Predictable or not, I definitely enjoyed this film quite a bit and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone that’s a fan of the genre...or accents.