Film Review: Haley Lu Richardson’s Captivating Presence Grounds a Sentimental Yet Endearing Romantic Comedy, ‘Love at First Sight’

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In an ironic twist, Haley Lu Richardson, whom audiences will recall from “White Lotus,” once again finds herself at an airport in her latest film “Love at First Sight.” However, this time, she struggles to save a young man’s contact details into her phone—a glaring reminder to keep one’s phone charged when on the quest for romance.

The movie explores themes of serendipity, ill-timed technological glitches, and smartphones running out of battery, skillfully woven into a romantic comedy narrative. It thrives on the charismatic portrayals by Richardson and her co-star Ben Hardy, who somehow manage to transcend an often overly saccharine script.

Directed by Vanessa Caswill and streaming on Netflix, the film is an adaptation of Jennifer E. Smith’s young adult novel, “The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight.” While the original title offers more complexity, it is understandable why it was simplified, given its potential to be awkwardly abbreviated in casual discourse.

The plot centers on a fateful encounter between Hadley Ella Sullivan, a 20-year-old American, and Oliver Jones, a 22-year-old British statistics student at Yale. They cross paths at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport on December 20, noted as the busiest day of the year for that location. Hadley misses her flight to London by a mere four minutes, which turns out to be a life-changing delay. Oliver, whose phone battery is impressively at 94% compared to Hadley’s dwindling 21%, offers her his phone charger.

As the two spend time together, they find common ground in their mutual dislike for mayonnaise. While Hadley is en route to London to attend her father’s wedding, Oliver’s journey holds a more somber purpose. Circumstances allow them to share a flight, perhaps orchestrated by the film’s narrator, Jameela Jamil, who appears in multiple roles throughout the movie.

Their connection deepens during the overnight journey, but they find themselves separated at customs the next morning. Oliver manages to share his contact information with Hadley, but her phone runs out of battery before she can save it.

For those familiar with Jesse and Celine from “Before Sunrise,” who also found love while traveling, the story strikes a familiar chord. Unlike that pre-social media era, Hadley and Oliver have more tools at their disposal to reconnect. Yet, they still fail to capture each other’s last names, keeping their reconnection at bay.

The supporting performances, particularly those by Sally Phillips and Dexter Fletcher as Oliver’s parents, add depth to the film. Rob Delaney, playing Hadley’s father, attempts to navigate the complexities of love and divorce with clichéd lines.

Richardson delivers a heartfelt performance, mirroring Hardy’s own captivating presence, even though he falls short in portraying a believable “maths nerd.” While both actors portray characters significantly younger than their real ages, the film still manages to suspend disbelief for the audience, compelling them to root for this romantic pair.

In closing, the narrator informs us that 17.6% of people walk away from true love. This begs the question: do the remaining 82.4% find their way toward it? And what percentage of sentimental romantic comedies actually end in heartbreak? The prospects seem favorable for Hadley and Oliver.

Rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for brief strong language and some suggestive references, “Love at First Sight” has a running time of 90 minutes and earns a rating of two out of four stars.

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More about Love at First Sight Review

• Love at First Sight on Netflix
• Jennifer E. Smith’s Original Novel
• MPAA Rating System
• Interview with Director Vanessa Caswill
• Haley Lu Richardson’s Filmography
• Ben Hardy’s Filmography
• Before Sunrise – A Comparative Analysis
• Review Aggregator for Love at First Sight
• An Interview with the Lead Cast