I was probably always going to see this to see how sweet & soft this was & how it dealt with the subject matter, however the drama about the press tour & the lead has meant i have actually moved this forward a day to the monday to watch it. I know crazy right, also this then means ive got the rest of the week to chill.

Now i dont often feel self conscious about going to the cinema on my own. Ive been doing it for nearly a decade now. However i did today. When i got to the screening at 7:50 5 mins into the adverts there was about 20 people in the cinema & when a girl & her boyfriend came in & sat in the row behind me she said i was brave to go to the cinema alone. I said i do this at least once a week & that i review films (we swapped letterboxds i now follow her) & then the screening filled up & it was almost sold out about from like the front 2 rows. Everyone else in this screening was on a date or in a girlfriend or gay group. I was the only 1. I felt so awkward. I mean im glad it sold out but still.

Trailers, the critic (yes looks so good) Sing Sing (yes) Lee (yes) Kneecap (always odd to see the film you saw as an advanced preview before another film) & Wicked (ooooh yes)

& then the film started… If ever theres a film about Red Flags its this.

I am not going to go into the pr drama & red carpets & interviews that have gone along with this film. This is a film review after all. I dont want to distract it at all. However if the rumours are true & there is another cut of this, id like to see the cut we didnt get, because i think it would go even deeper thant he one we got.

What we got made domestic abuse seem like its okay & that it happens to everyone & its just apart of being a woman int he world. NO ITS FUCKING NOT!!! I know it happens & that some men are scum but so are some women. Its made here to be a shrug off that oooh he hit you, oh okay, even a doctor, was just like meh when she said that.

He had too many red flag signs even before they started dating, it was like hang on, id see that & yes hes mysterious & was devilishly handsome, but he was already possessive. I get it, i do that you cant help who you fall for but there needed to be a bit more logical thinking before she just jumped into everything with him.

All hail Jenny Slate! We needed more of her in the film & she was the only person who spoke any sense at all throughout the film. She is always queen, be it as her or Marcel.

Ive seen 2 films in the space of 5 days who both had a supporting but important character called Atlas… what the actual fuck? How is that a name people go for, unless your a gladiator, thats not a thing.

Justin was not the best actor, he was very wooden at points & you could see he still needs to refine it a bit, but his directing was solid. However it had a odd pace & the way some scenes were short & others lingered to prove a point & get us somewhere worked very well & Then we would have a 30min scene which could have been 5mins, to build tension we didn’t need. When is was built it was good but some of those movements i did roll my eyes at a bit. Stay behind the camera mate & not give yourself the male lead next time.

Blake was decent too. It was nice that she wasnt just wise cracking though the entire film, like she normally does. There were a few moments, especially during the meet cute where that side shone, but there was only 1 more moment when that happened.

I get its a romantic drama, but some of the cliches were a bit much. I know its a book first but if i had read the book & seen those bits in it id just go nah thats cheesy.

The woman sitting next to me in the cinema was crying at parts of the film, like i do when i watch up. Seriously. & ive just watched up again recently (god knows when you will get that review).

I liked the flashbacks, they werent distracting. They were useful. I also like that we got them for about 10mins then forgot about them & then came back to watch a bit more.

Got to love a slightly off scale meaningful heart tattoo.

This is not the rom com Blake is advertising this is a serious drama film, which needed to deal with the subject matter much more. I think the drama linked to the film should be made into its own film that would have delivered as much if not more. Shame because this could have been a powerful voice for women, but it just wasnt.