Movies

Finding Emily movie review

Worth the search?

What’s it about?

After meeting an intoxicating girl, a lovesick musician realises the number he has for her is incomplete. He teams up with a psychology student with her own agenda to locate the mystery girl (obviously named Emily).

What did we think?

Anthony Sherratt says: In a throwback to 90s rom-coms, Finding Emily is mostly formulaic and sweet. As such, it explores the traditional tropes and emotions working through the inevitable attractions and consequences. In short it’s something you would have seen Drew Barrymore cast in. However unlike the old ‘classics’ it does take the time to highlight there’s a very fine line between stalking and romantic.

Directed by Alicia MacDonald and written by Rachel Hirons, Finding Emily takes a simple rom-com premise and spits out an interesting and fun storyline which sees Owen (played by Spike Fern) chasing a manic-pixie-dream girl he met ever so briefly, with her name (Emily) his only clue. He meets another Emily (played by the talented Angourie Rice) who – for her own private reasons – decides to help him on his quest.

There’s a hugely entertaining and imaginative scene where an accidental group chat of Emilys is created and the blurred lines between romantic and invasion of privacy are quickly brought to the fore. Unfortunately it does this in a manner that’s a little unsatisfying, preferring to avoid commenting directly on it despite it being an integral part of the plot (and don’t even start me on the dialogue criticising manic pixie dream girls residing inside a rom-com that is playing fully to the sweet-meaning but bumbling hot guy trope).

It’s not going too win awards but it is a sweet, if not mostly predictable, date movie.

7
sweet
A wonderful flashback to 80s/90s rom-coms, Finding Emily is sweet fun that combines romantic silliness with some modern realities. While not super memorable, it’s well worth your time and almost guaranteed to pluck at your heartstrings.
Anthony has been reviewing movies for over 30 years (it may be longer now as he may have forgotten to add an extra year on). He lectured in journalism at the prestigious Queensland University of Technology for almost 20 years and in addition to freelance writing, works with the charity Hands Across The Water. In a busy life, insomnia is his friend.
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