Love Again is like a PG-13 Hallmark Channel movie – and is about as far-fetched as a rom-com gets.
Through cynical eyes (just scroll down Rotten Tomatoes), the Love Again movie is about a creepy guy taking advantage of a grieving woman using many rom-com tropes.
But if you approach the film uncynically, accept the story’s sweetness, and embrace romance unabashedly, you’ll likely enjoy the ride as much as I did – especially for the likable actors (Sam Heughan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas) and new original songs from Céline Dion (who also stars).
LOVE AGAIN THE MOVIE – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Before going into my Love Again review, I gathered everything you need to know about the new romantic comedy: from the official synopsis to the movie’s cast, the soundtrack, and the trailer.
Love Again Official Synopsis:
From Sony Pictures:
What if a random text message led to the love of your life? In this romantic comedy, dealing with the loss of her fiancé, Mira Ray sends a series of romantic texts to his old cell phone number…not realizing the number was reassigned to Rob Burns’ new work phone. A journalist, Rob is captivated by the honesty in the beautifully confessional texts. When he’s assigned to write a profile of megastar Celine Dion (playing herself in her first film role), he enlists her help in figuring out how to meet Mira in person…and win her heart.
Starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sam Heughan and Celine Dion and featuring multiple new songs from Dion, Love Again, written for the screen and directed by Jim Strouse, is only in theaters May 5, 2023.
Love Again Movie Cast
Love Again includes a fascinating cast led by Sam Heughan (Outlander) and Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Citadel), with supporting roles from Céline Dion, Russell Tovey (Being Human), Nick Jonas, Celia Imrie, and more.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas stars as children’s book illustrator Mira Ray, a grieving young woman, sending text messages to her deceased boyfriend.
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Sam Heughan plays the male lead, Rob Burns (a clear nod to the Scottish poet Robert Burns), a music critic writing a profile piece on Céline Dion – who convinces him of the power of love and taking chances. He starts receiving Mira’s texts and falls in love with her.
Céline Dion makes her feature film debut playing a fictional version of herself – telling of her romantic love story with René Angélil and working as the fairy godmother of sorts in the film.
The rest of the supporting actors include:
- Sofia Barclay as Mira’s younger sister, Suzy Ray.
- Russell Tovey as Billy Brooks – Rob’s co-worker and best friend.
- Lydia West as Lisa Scott – Another co-worker of Rob’s.
- Steve Oram as Richard Hughes – Rob’s boss.
- Nick Jonas as Joel – A date Mira meets through a dating app.
- Celia Imrie as Gina Valentine – Mira’s publisher.
- Arinzé Kene as John – Mira’s deceased boyfriend, John.
- Omid Djalili as Mohsen – A family friend of Mira.
Love Again Soundtrack Featuring Céline Dion
The soundtrack from the movie features five new songs from Céline Dion – including the featured song, “Love Again!” Plus, familiar favorites like “All By Myself,” “It’s All Coming Back to Me,” and more.
If you’re a Céline fan, this is a film you can’t miss – if only for the amazing soundtrack. The new songs are lovely.
Love Again Film Trailer
LOVE AGAIN REVIEW
Love Again is a light-hearted romance movie that won’t win any awards (not that it’s trying to) but will win over the hearts of romantics everywhere.
It’s a nice bit of fluff escapism set in New York City that fully embraces what it is: a romantic comedy fantasy following rom-com trope after trope with a HEA as its cherry on top.
Love Again is a remake of the 2016 German film SMS für Dich and is also based on the 2009 novel by Sofie Cramer. And while I can’t compare this movie to the original inspirations since I haven’t read the book or seen the German adaptation, it sounds like the American remake followed the heart of the original story without significant deviations.
The Story
The story follows Mira Ray after the tragic loss of her fiancé. Two years after his passing, she finds solace in sending heartfelt, confessional texts to his old cell phone number.
Little does she know that the number has been reassigned to Rob Burns, a dedicated music critic/media journalist. He quickly becomes enamored by the sincerity and emotion conveyed in Mira’s messages and sets out to meet her in person.
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When assigned to write a profile piece on Céline Dion, he enlists Céline’s help to win Mira’s heart. But what if Mira finds out the truth about the text messages? Will Mira and Rob find love together? Or will they break apart because he didn’t tell her the whole story from the beginning?
Thus, the premise of Love Again. It is a rom-com about the transformative power of love and connection in the digital age – albeit with a heavy-handed dosage of saccharine sweetness.
The Romance
The romance on the surface of the story sounds weird. A guy reads personal texts without revealing he’s receiving them and then sets out to find this woman in person. It could be seen as a bit stalker-like.
But it’s Outlander’s Sam Heughan, with his natural accent showcasing all his charm and adorable qualities, playing a likable, good guy. So, if you accept that this story is more fantasy than reality and ultimately go on to accept the premise in this rom-com world, it’s really fun and endearing to watch.
Expectations going in are key. As I said, the only way to enjoy this movie is without cynicism.
The movie has numerous entertaining romantic moments and good chemistry between Chopra Jonas and Heughan – although more character development would have been nice. As would a wittier script and actual comedic moments.
But the love story itself is entertaining and worth watching.
Céline Dion
As for Ms. Dion, she does a fantastic job in the film – proving she’s a talented actress on top of her phenomenal singing abilities.
She portrays a fictionalized version of herself – adding to the authenticity – revealing more about the real-life love story between her and her husband – while also playing matchmaker in the film.
It’s an absolute joy to watch Dion’s performance – and her new original songs are great, too.
Overall Thoughts
While there isn’t much comedy in this rom-com (a continuing problem in the genre), it’s a sweet treat for rom-com fans everywhere looking to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
And if you enjoyed romantic comedies and movies like Return to Me, You’ve Got Mail, or P.S. I Love You and ALSO (also is key) love Hallmark romances, this is the movie for you. It’s a middle-of-the-road romance film with decent directing and a lovely script – but nothing overly memorable.
Still, I enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone wanting to watch a Hallmark-type film with a little more sensuality.
So, take in the spoonful of sugar and embrace the sweetness of Love Again, a heartwarming romantic comedy that explores the serendipitous power of love and technology.
Love Again Movie: Where to Watch
The Love Again movie premiered on Netflix on September 2, 2023, and is currently available exclusively on the streaming site. You can also rent or buy the film digitally or on DVD.
Content Note: PG-13 for brief, strong language, suggestive content, and implied sensuality.
Have you watched Love Again? Do you agree with my review? What did you think of the movie? Let me know in the comments!
