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Maggie’s Plan (2015) Review – A Rom-Com That Knows Life Is Complicated
In one sentence: Maggie’s Plan follows a single woman determined to become a mother on her own, whose carefully laid plans unravel when she falls for a married academic. Romantic comedies often follow a familiar formula and can feel overly predictable. Too frequently, women are portrayed as waiting for a man to arrive before their…
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Ideal Home (2018) Review – Love, Laughter and an Unlikely Family
In one sentence: Ideal Home is a warm comedy about an unlikely family navigating unexpected guardianship and the joys and frustrations that come with it. There was a time when I would have actively avoided a film led by Steve Coogan, but those days are long gone. Since the excellent Philomena, Coogan has grown into…
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It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947) Review – A Christmas Story of Kindness and Community
In one sentence: It Happened on 5th Avenue is a classic festive tale of kindness and community in post-war New York. Christmas is synonymous with generosity and togetherness and most of us can easily name a handful of films that celebrate these ideals. Yet the same titles tend to dominate festive schedules year after year.…
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Eternity (2025) Review – Love, Choice and the Afterlife
In one sentence: Eternity is a speculative comedy drama that envisions the afterlife as a choice-filled journey where individuals decide their eternal destination. Most of us have probably wondered what awaits us after we pass and A24’s Eternity presents a refreshingly original answer. The afterlife here resembles a vast and bustling conference centre, complete with…
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Bell, Book and Candle (1958) Review – A Bewitching Christmas Classic
In one sentence: Bell, Book and Candle is a festive romantic classic blending witchcraft, love and ‘50s style. James Stewart is perhaps best known for Christmas favourite It’s a Wonderful Life, which often tops lists of the greatest festive films ever made. What is less widely known is that he also stars in another…
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Delivery by Christmas (2022) Review – A Polish Christmas with Heart and Humour
In one sentence: Delivery by Christmas centres on delivery driver, Maria, whose parcels are tampered with before Christmas, setting off a chain of events that leads to both comedic moments and unexpected romance. We are inundated with cookie-cutter Christmas TV movies and, I will admit, sometimes they have their place. They are easy, undemanding viewing.…
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I’m Your Man (2021) Review – Can Love Be Engineered?
In one sentence: I’m Your Man is a German romantic sci-fi that explores love, companionship and what it means to choose the right partner. There are films that announce their genre clearly and then there are films like I’m Your Man; gentle, curious and impossible to pin down. Starring Dan Stevens and Maren Eggert, this…
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Materialists (2025) Review – A Modern Love Story That is More Than Meets the Eye
In one sentence: Materialists follows Lucy, a Manhattan matchmaker whose approach to dating is disrupted when she becomes involved with two very different men, one wealthy and one struggling. Celine Song made waves with her gentle, poignant feature film debut Past Lives, which earned her Academy Award recognition. Naturally, all eyes were on her follow-up,…
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Little Shop of Horrors (1986) Review – Still Biting After All These Years
In one sentence: Little Shop of Horrors follows florist Seymour, who discovers a strange, fast-growing plant that he names Audrey II and as it thrives, it demands increasingly drastic measures to be fed. As Halloween approaches, here is an option for those who prefer their films with laughs rather than scares. Little Shop of Horrors…
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A Nice Indian Boy (2024) Review – Proof There is Still Life in the Rom-Com
In one sentence: A Nice Indian Boy follows Naveen’s efforts to find a partner acceptable to his family, which becomes complicated when he meets Jay. I used to love romantic comedies, but over the years they have become tired, predictable and a little too alike. A Nice Indian Boy has changed that for me. With…
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