Love, Repeat, directed by Shelagh Carter and written by Bill Connington, graces your screen with the effortless charm of New York in winter. And the not so effortless (but he really is trying) charm of James (Bill Connington). He’s an awkward man, not quite in touch with his feelings and so by extension, not quite in touch with those around him. That’s the reason Barbara left him.
The film presents New York as a snowy microcosm of wonder, a place where love could be round every corner. As James gives a voice over in the opening montage, his feelings for the city seem to transcend those he feels for his wife. This isn’t true, however. The feelings are all there – James just has some trouble expressing them to other people.
Despite a string of ill-fated attempts at dating – all of which bring much humour – James still has a certain lady on his mind. But when that lady begins to fall into the arms of another, James is kicked into action with the help of his teenage son, Chris (Maxwell Purushothaman). The film cuts back to the past occasionally, showing us the breakdown in James and Barbara’s marriage and therefore the path James needs to take to win her back. All around him, other couples are breaking up; his parents, his friends – even his babysitter is having love troubles.
James’ friends, Chad (Marcus Ho) and Lavanya (Nandita Shenoy), provide a lot of comic relief as the pair have great on-screen chemistry, even when they’re falling out and getting divorced. Shenoy is wonderfully quirky and captures the role well; Ho is bold and witty. The comedy of the film is not continually sustained (it’s rom-com not slapstick), but rather appears in little pockets where it is mostly effective. It could have been nice to have a stronger foundation for the film – some drama to perpetuate the plot, some more developed side stories to add colour and depth. The exploitation of the other characters’ falling in and out of love is a good concept and works well but these peripheral characters could have been woven into the main plot more compellingly.
The individual characters, though fairly static and missing out on development, are carried well by the actors. Leenya Rideout as Barbra seems like someone straight out of a Hollywood Rom-Com. Bill Connington as James is suitably awkward and stiff, finally loosening up at little towards the end during his emotional ‘is it still raining I hadn’t noticed’ walk through the sodden streets of New York. At times, I would’ve liked a little light and shade from Connington as the awkwardness overpowers the more subtle nuances that could be explored in the character of James. The parents are hilarious, and always one of my favourite character tropes in any comedy film. Love, Repeat certainly lives up to the expectations here – James’ mother is perfectly portrayed by Carole Monferdini. She nearly made me cry and then choke on my tea while laughing within the space of 20 seconds.
Does James get the girl (for the second time)? I won’t spoil that here! Love, Repeat is available to watch online on Amazon Prime. Check out the trailer below!
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