Love, Guaranteed, one of Netflix’s newest original films, is directed by Mark Steven Johnson. The film follows Susan (Rachael Leigh Cook), a hard-working and earnest lawyer who takes on one too many pro bono cases. To make sure that her firm doesn’t go under, she decides to take on a high-profile case from Nick (Damon Wayans Jr.). Nick plans to sue the dating website “Love Guaranteed” since it promised that he would find love after 1000 dates. As the two begin to work together, they find themselves at the center of attention with media outlets. To make things more complicated, they start to form a bond that may call into question the need for the lawsuit in the first place.
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I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a premise like this, but I was excited to watch the film because of the two leads. Having previously watched New Girl, Psych, and Criminal Minds, I’ve become a fan of Cook and Wayans’ performances. As I watched Love, Guaranteed, I found the premise to be quite interesting. It’s unique, since Wayans’ character takes the literal approach to suing the dating site. However, it does seem extremely exaggerated. I understand that there’s a need to suspend one’s disbelief in films, but the premise should have been somewhat believable. It fits with a more modern setting since dating apps are still a prevalent part of how people meet each other, but the aspect of going on 1000 dates takes away from its sense of uniqueness.
Given that Love, Guaranteed falls under the genre of Rom Coms, it follows the basic structure of other Rom Coms. From the “meet cute” to falling in love and the inevitable turning point, every base is covered. However, there were times that felt as if the film was just speeding through to the end. Everything felt extremely predictable, which would be fine had there been better flow to the story. The film itself was easy to follow, but one minute I was watching Nick and Susan meet and the next they were getting closer to one another. Again, I bring up having to suspend one’s disbelief, but speeding through the story puts the whole concept of falling in love through an app into question.
Despite all this, I have to say that Wayans and Cook have incredible chemistry. Wayans’ portrayal of Nick was strong, which made it believable that someone would actually go through suing a dating app for not following through with its mission. Cook’s portrayal of an honest lawyer who wants to defend the innocent at no charge, though hard to believe, was great. It’s that sense of honesty that made me care for her character and care for her desire to save her firm. Both actors played off one another so well given their character’s characteristics and beliefs. This is a couple that I had no problem rooting for since they both cared for the sense of falling in love with the right person.
Even with its flaws, I quite enjoyed watching Love, Guaranteed. The premise, however unbelievable it was, added a unique factor that made the film enjoyable to watch. The chemistry between the two leads was incredible and I hope they work together on future projects. There were flaws, including the flow of the film, but nothing that completely ruined the experience of watching the film.
Love, Guaranteed is now available to stream exclusively on Netflix.
