LOOKING for honest reviews on new and old movies and series? we have you covered, in this new series, Odette Parfitt has you covered and lets us know if it’s worth the stream.
The Lovers (2023)
Platform: Netflix
Basic plot:
A British dude has to go to Northern Ireland for work where he meets a shop assistant with an attitude and they proceed to get together while constantly sniping at each other about pretty much everything.
How it was probably pitched to the producers:
I honestly don’t know where to begin to guess how this was pitched…
Thoughts:
So here’s the thing: the whole time that Seamus and Janet are on screen together, you don’t
know whether or not you’re rooting for them. Mostly because generally, they don’t seem like
a good match; half the time they don’t even seem to like each other much.
Why watch a “love story” if you don’t believe in the relationship, you may ask? Well, because
Johnny Flynn is charming and Irish accents are appealing, and every now and then it feels
like the two characters are maybe a little good for each other (like how Janet keeps telling
Seamus he’s not really famous like he thinks – the boy’s arrogance needs a knock).
Overall though, I had a couple of gripes. Janet is very clearly depressed but they make a
point of setting it up in the first episode and then pretty much sweep it under the rug and
pretend it’s not an issue after that. Seamus is very much self-absorbed and it makes him a
little difficult to like sometimes. From the get-go their romance seems off-kilter and they
disagree on a lot of things that seem important, which leads to a few fights that are uglier
than they need to be. Ultimately I’m not sure I believe they are good for each other…but
somehow it’s still a compelling watch.
Bottom line – is it worth the stream?
It’s only six episodes so I feel like you can make the commitment yes – but bear in mind that
it is a bit frustrating for the reasons mentioned above. Also, a lot of swearing so don’t watch
in the presence of children or your dominee.
Watch this if you like:
- Extremely sassy female leads
- Vague political references
- The F word
- Realistically imperfect on-screen relationships
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