With the world being the way it is now, who doesn’t need a rom-com to cheer you up, am I right? Well, The Broken Hearts Gallery is here to do just that. The directorial debut for writer Natalie Krinsky, the film is about Lucy, a young woman in her mid-twenties who has just broken up from her cheating boyfriend and is hoarding mementos from all her previous relationships, aspiring to be a curator of her own gallery. She then crosses paths with this guy who’s trying to open up a hotel and, in an attempt to help each other out, she decides that to open up an independent gallery housing mementos from hers and other people’s failed relationships inside the building he is attempting to convert into the hotel of his dreams, hoping to raise the funds necessary to make that happen.
Naturally, and very predictably, they soon start to fall in and fall out only to then fall back in again by the end, as is normally the case with every rom-com romance. The only real pitfall the movie falls into is that there’s almost nothing original about this film since it’s recycling and repeating all the typical tropes that come pre-packaged with the rom-com genre. Plus, we don’t really get enough time exploring and diving into the titular gallery since it’s primarily focused on the central relationship unfolding between our two protagonists. However, despite those faults, this is still an entertaining film to watch, and it certainly made this viewer smile throughout and chuckle occasionally, which is definitely needed during times like these.
Carrying the weight of the movie on her shoulders and elevating it to joyous peaks and heights is Geraldine Viswanathan, who continues to prove herself as a talented rising star with great dramatic range as seen in Blockers, Hala, Bad Education, and TV’s Miracle Workers. As well as nailing the snappy one-liners like a professional comedian, she also delivers the real dramatic heart and weight when it matters, so you truly believe in her throughout, and it is because of her that the movie really shines. Plus, her chemistry between her and her gal-pals (played brilliantly by both Molly Gordon and Phillipa Soo) is infectious and their scenes together are the real highlights of the film. Also worth noting, the amazingly-talented Bernadette Peters also features in this and is great as she always is.
In the end, The Broken Hearts Gallery is not the most original rom-com ever made, nor is it going to take the genre by storm in the way that The Big Sick did, but it is still a delightful, fun, charming movie that did provide the smiles and the laughs when it mattered and thank heaven for Geraldine Viswanathan because she truly makes the film worth watching.
Dir: Natalie Krinsky
Scr: Natalie Krinsky
Cast: Geraldine Viswanathan, Dacre Montgomery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Molly Gordon, Phillipa Soo, Bernadette Peters
Prd: David Gross
DOP: Alar Kivilo
Music: Genevieve Vincent
Country: United States, Canada
Year: 2020
Runtime: 108 minutes
The Broken Hearts Gallery is out on Digital and DVD now.
